Aquilegia canadensis New York State 2014 From the name it seems reasonable that the Canada Columbine (ala 'canadensis') should at least be pretty much at home in the North of America, although it's alternative common name, the Eastern Red Columbine seems to confuse any obvious geographic affinities a little. In fact it appears that the Canada Columbine is perfectly at home on the majority of the North American continent, only prevented from extending entirely to the west by the Great Plains and/or Great Continental Divide. Being unable to cross these large unwooded expanses fits with a plant that prefers semi-shaded woodland fringes and wet river edges, and I have found patches of these attractive red flowers exploding out from the edges of swamps and tree-fall patches in denser forest (this picture was taken in Bergen Swamp, upstate NY). Sprays of vivid red flowers are hard to miss, and apparently humming birds find them hard to resist as well. In what appears to be becoming a theme, Columbines are a model system for the study of adaptation and evolution of switches in pollination syndrome between birds (red, with associated chemical pathways) and insects (blue, with alternate chemical pathways). Indeed, so remarkable are these contrasting colors in cultivated varieties that a favorite old Australian toffee brand, with red or blue wrappers, is named after them.
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