Red Columbine

Aquilegia canadensis is a springtime flower in the Buttercup family, opening up its nectar filled petals in shady woodland or dappled sunlight along roadsides, rocky bluffs and forested trails alike. Native to Minnesota, red columbine seems to grow just about anywhere. Hummingbirds love to sip from the bell-shaped flowers that open May through July — a welcome sight to look forward to seasonally as the tiny birds hover from flower to flower. Their long beaks and tongues are perfectly suited to reach way to the back of the nectar-filled spurs for refreshment. A lovely sight indeed!

Red columbine grows 12 to 18 inches tall. The leaves are compound in groups of 3, with rounded notches along the tips. Tiny dark seeds form in late summer inside the center cups as the flowers slowly dry and turn brown, and at that time are easily dispersed by tipping the spur cups onto the ground — or save them in an envelope to sprinkle in another area later for more columbines!

Also known as wild columbine.