Wild Geranium

Geranium maculatum is a native perennial with flowers appearing in the shady woodlands of Little Bass Lake — and much of Minnesota — starting late May and lasting into June. The toothy lower leaves are very distinctive with their deeply divided lobes of 3 or more. Flower stalks grow from the ground up alongside the leaf stems instead of from the leaves themselves (another distinctive trait to look for), and often sport one or two shorter-stalked, smaller leaves right at the base of the flower cluster.

Petals appear in fives, with dark lines streaking from the center and disappearing outward. Petal color ranges from pink to lavender fading to white in the center adorned therein with ten yellow-tipped stamens. This lovely bloom decorates her preferred shady habitat along the forest floor , and is a springtime reminder of the perpetuity of nature in her cycles.