© 2021 Erik Krause, All Rights Reserved.
There are very few wild plants that bloom in mid-winter, hellebore is one of them. This plant has chosen its place well, probably the warmest spot on the Schönberg, a Black Forest outlier. Everything else in the area was covered with snow.
The hellebore can rise the temperature inside the flower up to 6° above air temperature, probably attracting insects this way. It does this by letting yeast ferment the nectar, which might also be responsible for the smell that gave him the second name "stinking".
But on this cold morning, that didn't help either. The sun was just rising over the Black Forest hills, the temperature was about -12 °C, the plant was frozen solid. Only 4 days later the temperature rose to almost 20 °C and spring broke out.
The stinking hellebore flowers are unremarkably green like the leaves and develop a red fringe only with age.
Wikipedia on Hellebore
Wikipedia on Schönberg
More WWP panoramas on Schönberg:
On the way to Schönberg Summit
Summer begins with cherry blossom
Frosted Rosehips
Viticulture
Lat: 47° 56' 58.336" N
Long: 7° 47' 56.275" E
Precision is: High. Pinpoints the exact spot.
EOS 5D2, Samyang 12mm fisheye, SNS HDR lite, PTGui 12 pro, Photoshop and a Slik table top tripod.