On my trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last April one of the wildflowers I photographed was Wild Columbine – Aquilegia canadensis. Columbine is a member of the Ranunculaceae family. It is easily identified – the flowers look like little lanterns.
I spotted the columbine growing along the side of the road. It was growing in and among several other wildflowers. Here’s a close up of just the flowers of the Columbine.
(c) 2008 Patty Hankins
Here is one of the columbine blossoms with some Meadow Parsnip (Thaspium).
(c) 2008 Patty Hankins
Here’s the grouping of wildflowers that was so striking. It’s a mix of the Columbine, Meadow Parsnip and Purple Phacelia (Phacelia binpinnatifida).
A few weeks after I got back from the Smokies, I was at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland and spotted some columbine in one of the beds. It was interesting seeing how the columbine plant looks when it’s not mixed in with other wildflowers.
(c) 2008 Patty Hankins