Overcast sky with a moderate wind. The temperature was about 48 degrees Fahrenheit. This plant was located in a garden area outside the back entrance of Hansee Hall near the Hughes Penthouse Theather. It was surrounded by smaller bushes, some more of its own kind, and a few unidentifiable species of plant. There were plenty more of this species in an area on the path toward McCarty past Hansee. I was particularly captivated by the color of the petals and by the fact that the flowers all drooped as if they were extremely heavy. This flower does not have petals in the traditional sense, it actually has sepals around small nectaries. These sepals remain on the flower for many months out of the year. Interestingly, this species is used as a weight loss supplement in Russia.

Helleborus foetidus - Stinkend nieskruid | Stinking hellebore | Hellébore fétide | Stinkende Nieswurz

Talking about Helleborus, we always tend to think about Helleborus niger, the Christmas Rose, or about those dark-red coloured Helleborus orientalis.

But, in the Ardens, in the Southern part of Belgium, you can find two native members of the genus Helleborus: there is the rather common Stinking Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus), and the much rarer Green Hellebore (Helleborus viridis).

In contrast with the well-known garden-varieties of H. niger and H. orientalis, our native Hellebores have less obvious green flowers.