Summer shades of purple

The other day I was walking toward the upper courtyard when my view was filled with shades of purple. As I walked around the Museum I began noticing there were a lot of plants with purple flowers.

I thought it was interesting to see so many different types of plants with purple flowers on them during the summer.  I asked several of the staff at the Arboretum about this and the most common response I got was that it had to do with attracting pollinators.

Different colored flowers reflect different levels of UV light which attract insects to them to be pollinated. Some insects are only attracted to certain colors and it would seem that these summer insects like the color purple. I know I was attracted to these purple flowers and I hope you enjoy them too.

Verbana bonariensis.

Crape Myrtle, Lagerstroemia indica ‘Pohwatan’.

Bougainvillea glabra, In training since 1985, Donated by Harold Harvey.

Close up of Bougainvillea flower and colorful bract.

Crape myrtle, Lagerstroemia indica ‘Zuni’.

Balloon flower, Platycodon grandiflorus.

Balloon flower detail.

Barnardia japonica in front of the Chinese Pavilion.

Barnardia japonica.

Garden Phlox, Phlox paniculata ‘Franz Schubert’ in the Yamaguchi Garden.

Garden Phlox close up.

Hosta sp. planted in the Maple Walk outside the Bonsai Museum.

Hosta sp.

Japanese lily, Lilium speciosum ‘Uchida’ near the Museum’s entrance gate.

Thanks to the Museum’s Gardner, Amy Forsberg, for helping me with plant identification.

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