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Elephanthead Lousewort

Pedicularis groenlandica

CommonPlant
Illustration of Elephanthead Lousewort (Pedicularis groenlandica)

Elephanthead Lousewort is a remarkable mountain wildflower of wet meadows and stream banks whose pink-to-red flowers uncannily resemble a tiny elephant's head with raised trunk and floppy ears. It is hemiparasitic on neighboring plant roots. Bumblebees are the primary pollinators, and it blooms in subalpine meadows from June through August.

Habitat
Wet subalpine and alpine meadows and stream banks in western North America
Diet
Nectar consumed primarily by bumblebees
How common
Common

Best time to see a Elephanthead Lousewort

The best time to see a Elephanthead Lousewort is June–July, when about 78% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 9,922 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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