Three stages of pollination

These are some of my favorite Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. They are known as Dryas drommondi, or Yellow Mountain Avens.

They poke from sandy flood plains and gravelly passes where the soil is poor, but they thrive. Their tiny low growing blooms look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, at least to me, and always catch my eye.

What fascinates me the most about them though is the completely different look of their blooms depending upon what stage of pollination they are in. From right to left these are all mountain aven flowers in 1. pre-pollination, 2. pollination by insect, and 3. post pollination. Incredible, and incredibly beautiful...