Dutchman’s Breeches - Dicentra cucullaria
Clusters of white, pantaloon-shaped flowers on a leafless stalk that rises above feathery, basal leaves.
These flowers are pollinated by early spring bumblebees, whose proboscises are long enough to tap the nectar. However, other bees with proboscises that are too short to reach the nectar usually just snip a hole through the outside of the flower at the site of nectar accumulation - this allows the bee to steal the nectar. Such nectar-robbing, however, doesn't bring about pollination.
**Note the small hole on the right side of the bottom flower - this is a hole made by a nectar thief!
"Dicentra cucullaria" is a perennial herbaceous plant, native to rich woods of eastern North America, with a disjunct population in the Columbia River Basin. The common name Dutchman's breeches derives from their white flowers that look like white breeches.
