Pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea)

Visitors to Yosemite are always quick to notice the resemblance between Pinedrops and Jeremy Bentham. Both eschew photosynthesis, both endorse the greatest-happiness principle, and both hang around in a semi-preserved state long after their putative deaths. Pinedrops can often be seen a year after they've expired, and Bentham, of course, has been lording over London for 150 years and counting.

This Photo:  Along the Wawona Meadow trail, June 5, 2007