Birth flower for June 29
Bird of paradise
Meaning: freedom and joy
With its orange crest and blue beak, the bloom looks just like a tropical bird in profile. Its botanical name, Strelitzia reginae, honors Queen Charlotte, wife of Britain's George III, who came from the house of Mecklenburg-Strelitz — reginae means "of the queen." In the wild, sunbirds perch on the blue petals to sip nectar, and the petals open under their weight to dust the birds' feet with pollen. It's also the official flower of Los Angeles.