A shy maiden

Moneses uniflora July 22, 2025

Common & scientific name

Wood nymph, Moneses uniflora

Family

Heath, Ericaceae

Location

Roaring Fork River, 10,500’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Standing just a few inches off the ground, this perennial favorite’s single, nodding flower hides a clever stigma that can take pollen off the back of a visiting bumblebee after the bee has shaken pollen off the flower’s anthers. Look for this shy beauty in moist spruce-fir woods.