Columbine - Aquilegia vulgaris

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Columbine - Aquilegia vulgaris
© Dr Chris Gibson/English Nature

Though columbine is a true wild flower, it is much more commonly seen in gardens than in its natural habitat of wet woodlands, fens and grassland. Unfortunately, many garden varieties of columbine lack nectar, which is a shame for a flower so intricately designed to suit bumble bees! Columbine or aquilegia is a tall perennial, the greyish green, divided leaves forming a clump at the base of the plant. The spurred flowers, which are deep blue in 'wild-type' columbines, appear in loose clusters on tall leafless stems from May onwards. Columbines will grow in sun or semi-shade. They prefer a moist but well-drained soil, but are able to grow in unpromising and very dry conditions. They will self-seed very freely, forming natural looking drifts in flower borders, woodland or orchards.

In heraldry, the columbine flower was used as one of the badges of the House of Lancaster.

Animals

Buff-tailed bumble bee, Common carder bumble bee, Honey bee, Red-tailed bumble bee, White-tailed bumble bee

Foliage	Green
Flower	Blue, May to July
Moisture	(Average)
Sunlight	(Full sun to Part-shade)
Origin	Native