“Wild Columbine”

Here is another wildflower image from this past spring, even though the spring wildflower season turned out to be less than a stellar one , I did manage to get a few note worthy images. I shot this beautiful Wild Columbine at Clifty Falls State Park near Madison Indiana between thunderstorms and wind<,imagine that, it was situated in a crevice in a large boulder that helped keep the light and wind at bay.

Clifty Falls has an enormous amount of Columbines in the park due to the large boulders that dot the landscape there, if you ever need a good place to shoot them definitely give Clifty Falls a shot, you won’t be disappointed.

Columbines are truly hard to photograph due to how the bloom hangs out and away from the main plant, making even the slightest breeze seem like a Tornado, you need to find  a still day or a protected  environment to get a quality shot, they tend to grow in and around rock crevices, so finding these areas would make for  a great place to find and start shooting them.

Here is some more info from Wikipedia ….

Aquilegia canadensis (Canadian or Canada Columbine, Eastern Red Columbine, wild columbine, honeysuckle) is a herbaceous perennial native to woodland and rocky slopes in eastern North America, prized for its red and yellow flowers. It readily hybridizes with other species in the genus.

Height is 15–90 cm (6–35 in). Leaves are lobed and grouped in 3s, growing from the base and off the flowering stems.

Flowers are 1-2 inches long and have yellow petals with a red spur and red sepals. They appear in late spring, nodding on stems above the leaves. The round end of the spur contains nectar, which is sought by butterflies and hummingbirds.

The caterpillars of Columbine Duskywing (Erynnis lucilius) feed on the leaves.

The plant is easily propagated from seed and blooms the second year. It is relatively long lived in the garden. It grows well in shade, and in sun with proper moisture.

The cultivar ‘Little Lanterns’ is half the height of the species.

Native American tribes used various parts red columbine in herbal remedies.

I hope you liked the photo and info, thanks for stopping by and taking a look, click on the image for best viewing !!