Aquilegia Express: Columbines
In late winter, many of us wait in great anticipation of the coming spring. With each new spring, a frenzied burst of wildflowers entices us out into nature for yet another beautiful year of Celebrating Wildflowers.
One of the most exquisite and most beloved wildflowers is the columbine. The magnificent rock-loving columbine brightens our hearts in cool, hidden forest grottos, and lifts our spirit high to alpine meadows and glacial mountain lakes.
All aboard! The Aquilegia Express is ready to leave the station! Join us as we explore columbine history, habitats, pollinators, and the many beautiful colors along the way. Final call!
“Sweet columbine, sweet columbine
Beneath the aspen and the pine
You seem a gift from heav’n above”~ From a lyric by Edgar MacMechen, 1922
All Aboard!
Natural History
Our journey begins with Aquilegia's ancestors as they cross the Bering land bridge
The Birds and Bees
Pollinators play an important role in development and hybridization
The Columbine Flower
Different shapes and colors are the result
Blue Columbines
Children of the “First Columbine”
Yellow Columbines
Yellow, white, to pink and everything in between
Red Columbines
Red elfin flowers herald the coming of spring