Bluebill Dayflower In The Santa Catalina Mountains — Image by kenne
The flowers of all dayflowers emerge from a folded leaf-like structure called a bract. In birdbill dayflower,
the bract has a long tapered tip. The flowers of all dayflowers are blue, often a lovely pastel.
Birdbill dayflower has three petals, but several of the very common species have only two.
The flowers are open in the morning, but wither by mid-day. Actually, the petals absorb moisture from
the atmosphere and turn to mush, a phenomenon called deliquescence. Birdbill dayflower grows in rocky soils
in woodland and forest openings. While many of the dayflowers grow in wet soils, birdbill dayflower grows on
relatively dry well drained slopes. Plants thrive with the onset of summer rains. — Source: U. S. Forest Service
