Monday, October 3, 2011

Red Columbine

Red columbine is a woodland perennial that is native to the eastern half of the United States. It is one of 60 to 70 species that is a part of the genus Aquilegia. The name Aquilegia is derived from the Latin word aquila which means eagle. Most of the flowers in this genus hang down and resemble the talon of an eagle.
The bell shape of the columbine flower attracts insects that have a long proboscis, or tongue, such as butterflies. It is also good at attracting humming birds. Because of this it is often found planted in butterfly gardens.

6 comments:

Tatjana Parkacheva said...

Beautiful flower and your photos, too.

Regards and best wishes

Jeannelle said...

Lovely photos! We had a patch of these on our farm when I was a kid. We called them Honeysuckle and we would bite those little tips off to taste the sweetness inside.

Kim, USA said...

I love columbines and this one has a pretty color. ^_^

Ruby Tuesday

Mel Cole - Ruby Tuesday said...

It's color red is beautiful. I like the idea that it attracts humming birds. :)

Frostbite and Sunburn said...

Ha - one of my favourite flowers and I never knew that meaning - makes sense!

Jama said...

The shape of the flowers are so interesting.