Cardinal-flower is a member of the lobelia family.
It is a striking plant of stream banks and damp meadows.
Cardinal Flower grows 2 – 5 feet in height.
Here is where the name comes from:
I’ll be exploring the Ottawa area for a few days and these photos come from a stream side near a village north of there on the Québec side:
Some botany:
NATURE POETRY
The sun went down in beauty,
Peacefully sank to rest,
Leaving its golden reflection
On the great Mississippi’s breast;
Gleaming on the turbulent river,
In the coming gray twilight,
Soothing its restless surging,
And kissing its waters goodnight. – George Marion McClellan (1860–1934)
Miles Hearn