 |
| Milford Center Prairie SNP. |
Maybe some people think roses are red, but Royal Catchfly (
Silene regia) is more than red. It is the most red. I can see royal catchfly from a mile away, it is stoplight red, it is bright crimson, it is the most red lipstick. It is blood.
 |
| Bigelow Cemetery SNP, July 28 2018. |
Royal catchfly is rare and special. For a long time people know this plant from only one place in Ohio, Bigelow Cemetery in the Darby Plains. Happen I went there on July 29 this year, and they were blooming everywhere.
 |
| Milfford Center Prairie SNP, July 28 2018. |
Later people find royal catchfly in other areas, including Milford Center Prairie also in the Darby Plains.
 |
| Huffman Prairie SNL, July 18, 2018. |
You can also find royal catchfly in restored prairies where people add them. I saw it bloom in Huffman Prairie State Natural Landmark in mid-July.
 |
| Calyx has sticky hairs. Bigelow Cemetery. |
It is a catchfly because it has sticky hairs, but more important, it is royal because it is red. If you crush a petal between paper it will stain the paper purple. I don't know if I can make dye from old petals, but if I can grow it myself sometime I will try.
 |
| Milford Center Prairie. |
I think this is my favorite summer wildflower. If sometime I have a garden I will grow it. Hummingbirds and butterflies love it. Every time I see it I see hummingbirds. Royal catchfly blooms in July and August.
