Red Deadnettle

Flower bud of red deadnettle,  lamium purpureum.

Flower of Red Deadnettle, Lamium purpureum

Back to high magnification, and my most challenging wildflower.  Red deadnettle occurs all over the place, and is no doubt regarded as a common weed.  But the tiny, individual flowers are very interesting - shaped like a pitcher, with detailed markings on the entrance, presumably to guide incoming flying insects.  The flowers would also seem to be very beautiful, having many of the attributes of exotic orchids.  The challenge lies in the fact that for all the interest and beauty of the flowers, I have yet to take a satisfactory photo.  The images here include one taken of a bud - a tiny globe of ruby red.  Images here are taken at a magnification of about 3X.