Some flowers of the iron chopsticks are called Christmas rose and some are called Lenten rose. I haven’t seen any wild Christmas rose flowers. Probably earlier than the safflower, at the same time as the Aconite. The leaves and roots of this plant are poisonous and contain protoanemonin, pulsatilla. I hope pollen is not poisonous. Bees still like its pollen. Like the Aconite, what you see as petals is actually a calyx, and the petals become tubular.

Why it is called Christmas Rose，there is a legend that a shepherd girl had no gift when Jesus was born. After crying, God made her flowed tears  became the flower in the snow. In fact, the flower is not a rose (rose is a Rosaceae). The original Christmas (Julian calendar) was on January 6th, and this time the flower would bloom in Britain. Later, when 1588 was changed to the Gregorian calendar (now the solar calendar), Christmas became December 25th. At this time, the flower had not bloomed yet! For this reason, the British adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1751!

Lenten Rose, Lent refers to the Catholic Lent, or Lent, from 3.6 to 4.18 per year. It should be this flower that bloom in this season, hence it gain the name.

1. These photos were taken on April 5, 2005, at the Beal Botanical Garden in MSU. The species name is Helleborus niger. Two days earlier (2019.4.6), this flower is still blooming, and solitary bees and bees are collecting pollen.

2. The bee is coming.

3. It’s coming to collect pollen.

4. Carefully pick pollen.

5. The following are taken in South Carolina and belong to the same genus. The botanical garden writes local hybrids (Ashwood Garden Hybrids). Commonly written white lenten rose, Latin is Helleborus x hybridus, which should be a horticultural hybrid.

6. The same bee above, she just came out of the flower.

7. The shape of the flower is similar to that taken by MSU above.

8. Maybe for the use of flash.

以上照片均为Nikon D70 (6百万像素）+60毫米微距拍摄。 所以相机不是很重要哈。

Above photos are taken with Nikon D70 (6 megapixels) + 60mm macro. So the camera is not very important.