The magical Twinflower, Linnaeus's favorite plant

 

One of the botanical delights of the summertime North Woods is this stunning little wildflower: Twinflower (Linnaea borealis). It is not rare in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where I made these images on July 7, 2026. It often forms small colonies via its trailing stems adorned with tiny round leaves.

Twinflower is, believe it or not, a member of the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae). The flowering stems rise but two inches or so in height, and it's more than possible for a careless observer to walk right by a colony without taking notice.

A diligent plant photographer will spend much time on the ground, ear to the soil, to properly portray elfin species such as Twinflower. I was fortunate to spot a few plants at the crest of a small hummock, which allowed me to put the camera nearly on the ground below the flowers, and shoot up at them.

A number of tiny insects - bees, wasps, flies, beetles - are said to provide pollination services, some of them no doubt lured by the blossom's sweet fragrance.

This was the favorite flower of Swedish scientist Carolus Linnaeus, the father of binomial nomenclature and hierarchical classification. Fittingly, he is immortalized in the scientific epithet of his beloved Twinflower: Linnaea. Linnaea is also a monotypic genus: Twinflower is the only species placed in it.