Pink Turtlehead

Chelone lyonii

Pink turtlehead blooms in September and October when most perennials have called it a season. The flowers are tightly closed, puffy-lipped tubes in deep rose-pink that look exactly like the head of a turtle about to surface -- an apt common name for one of our most distinctive native forms. Bumblebees are strong enough to force themselves inside; most smaller insects cannot, making this a specialist bumblebee plant at a time when late-season bumblebee queens need substantial nectar. It thrives in moist to wet conditions and shade, filling the fall garden role in the places where swamp sunflower and asters don't fit. Glossy, dark green foliage holds clean and handsome all season. One of the very few shade-adapted native perennials with genuine late fall color and bloom interest.