🌸 The second commissioned YCH is complete.

Thank you to everyone who shared their plant suggestions — unfortunately, I couldn’t find one that felt quite right, so I turned to my plant book and chose red campion (Silene dioica), also known as “red catchfly” or “forest campion.” Such a sweet name — now I really want a character based on it!

Fun fact: the plant’s Latin name, Silene dioica, comes from Silenus — the old, drunken, fun-loving satyr from ancient Greek mythology. Just like its namesake, the red campion “brightens up” forests and hedgerows with its vivid red flowers, lifting the mood. Interestingly, parts of the plant can sometimes be covered in foamy secretions, reminiscent of a frothy drink.

The “dioica” part means “two houses,” referring to the fact that each individual plant has flowers of only one sex — meaning you need both a male and a female plant for reproduction, and neither has any scent.
There’s also white campion (Silene latifolia), which gives off a faint fragrance at night and is a separate species. However, when it grows near red campion (Silene dioica), they often cross-pollinate, producing pink flowers!

Unlike many hybrids, this plant remains fully fertile and can easily cross back with its parent species, which is why you can find flowers in a whole range of colors — from deep red and pink to pure white.

Charactar: firewind20