WILD COLUMBINE 



Aquilegia canadensis L. 



April - May Columbine is named for two l)irds — for Columba, 



Roadsides, woods the dove, from a fancied resemblance of the flower 



to five doves grouped in a circle, and for Aquila, 

 the eagle^, from some fancied resembhmee of the flower to some part of 

 the eagle. Almost as if they had wings, the flowers of the columbine are 

 lightly poised on thin stems so that they dangle in g-raceful cui-ves in the 

 spring woods. No other flower can possibly be mistaken for columbine; 

 there is only one species in Illinois, the one with coral-red and gold blos- 

 soms which come in May to feed the hmnniingbirds. 



Columbine is one of the important hununingbird flowers. In these 

 honey-horns the long beak and longer tongue of the hummer thrust deeply 

 and gamer nectar and any tiny insects which have l)een attracted there, 

 too. Since hummingbirds seem to prefer red or orange flowers with trum- 

 pets, the columbine is peculiarly fitted for their requirements. In the 

 hilly, sandy woods where cnlum])ine grows tall, there are almost always 

 several hummingbirds Hashing about on wings that whir almost too fast 

 to be seen. And usually, in one of the tall oaks, there may be a tiny nest 

 where the little green female has laid two white eggs no bigger than navy 

 beans. And as often as not. the woods which sup])()rt the deep rooted, 

 perennial columbine may. in siimmer, have the shallow-rooted juicy- 

 stemmed, annual jewelweed whifh is orange and red and trumpeted, to 

 feed the hummingbirds A\hen columbine is out of bloom. 



Colimibine has a- basal tuft of deeply lobed, grey-green leaves from 

 which rise the tall, fibrous flower stems with leaves in groups along it; 

 the flowers on thin stems spring from the top and axils of the leaves. 



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