Photos

This species of trigger plant (Stylidium graminifolium) is found throughout SE Australia, but the pink colour gets more intense as the altitude increases. In summer you find clumps of bright pink flowers all over the mountains of Victoria, as here at Mt Baw Baw, amongst the snow gums. Trigger plants are supposed to have four petals (like the one in the background on the left) but this one seems to be a mutant with five petals.

The name trigger plant comes from the red pollen-bearing stalk in the centre of the flower. This is normally held back behind the petals, but when an insect sticks its head in the centre of the flower to drink up the nectar, the stalk suddenly shoots up and whacks the insect on the head, dumping a load of pollen on it. Thus the next flower the insect visits gets pollinated. Humans can trigger the flower by sticking a thin stick into the cente of the flower: the trigger is released with lightning speed. Warning: this can develop into a time-consuming habit!

Taken with a digital camera from work, as I was doing field work when I took the photo. Cropped, with minor adjustment of colour and sharpness.