May 31 Wild Columbine

Not a spring ephemeral as I mistakenly assumed for a few years, columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) doesn't have "wild" in its common name, either. I just think it sounds fun. It is however a member of the buttercup family, which features irregular flowers (meaning they are asymmetrical and have various numbers of sepals and petals) with simple pistils that eventually extend far out from the flower and have hooked ends. Pistils are the female reproductive flower parts, in case you did not already know. Columbine is a very thin and simple plant with small leaves that grow wherever a flower meets the stem. Generally low to the ground, they will grow 3 or 4 feet tall to get up above taller neighbors when necessary. I saw this flower on the way up to the gardens at the Lakeshore Preserve, and have seen it for many days this month. They are some of the more long lasting flowers of the year and add an attractive touch of red to the summer woods.