Ultraviolet Flowers: Aster tripolium

Aster tripolium L.

Asteraceae

Visible light
(L37C filter)

UV light
(FF , SB-140)

Both images: Nikon D1H , UV-Nikkor 105 mm f/4.5 @800 ISO

In this violet-flowered maritime species, the visual and UV markings largely coincide. The buds show low UV reflectance together with the non-pollinated stigmas. These flowers are eagerly visited by a large number of insect pollinators, thus having a recognisable floral pattern across a broad spectral range would be beneficial in ecological terms.