Family
Ranunculaceae
Description
Eastern columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) is a spring-blooming perennial in the buttercup family known for its nodding, red and yellow spurred flowers. Common across the eastern United States, it thrives on rocky outcrops, woodland edges, and well-drained slopes. Its unique floral structure is adapted to pollination by long-tongued species, such as ruby-throated hummingbirds, bumblebees, and hummingbird hawkmoths, making it a key early-season nectar source in native plant gardens.
Native to eastern and central North America, A. canadensis occurs from Canada to the Gulf Coast, often in open woods, rocky bluffs, and disturbed areas with shallow or well-drained soil.
Bloom Time
April through early June
