Columbine

Columbine is an important early spring nectar source for hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and moths and is also a host plant for butterfly and moth caterpillars. It is easy to grow and adaptable to a wide range of soil types and levels of sun exposure. The light, airy texture of the leaves and the delicate red to yellow flowers work well in both gardens and natural plantings.

The plant is a larval host for the Columbine Duskywing butterfly and an important food source for the Bombus hortorum bumblebee. It self-seeds and is deer resistant.

This versatile plant can withstand full sun to full shade, though it prefers partial shade, and can be a long-lived provided the soil has good drainage. It is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere in woodlands, along meadows and in mountainous areas.

Another common name for the plant is granny's bonnet, Red columbine and American columbine.

Columbines are closely related to baneberries and monkshoods. It’s botanical name, Aquilegia, comes from the Latin word for eagle (aquila), as the petals were thought to resemble an eagle's claw, while the common name, Columbine, comes from the Latin word for "dove", similarly referring to the shape of the petals resembling a cluster of doves.