Bluebonnet

Description:

Bluebonnet flowers are made up of many florets. Each floret has 5 petals: the banner petal, 2 wing petals, and 2 petals that make up the keel (next photo). The banner petal forms the upper part of the floret. The center of this petal is called the banner spot, and it is this spot that acts as a target to attract bee pollinators. When the pollen is fresh and sticky, the banner spot is white, seen to bees as reflected UV light and appearing to them to be a nice landing spot. But as the floret and its pollen age, the banner spot turns a reddish-magenta color and becomes ignored by the bees, who can’t see red

Habitat:

These were growing in an unwatered center island of a culdisac.

Notes:

The flower looks like a little bonnet when you look at it closely.