The most popular Springtime wildflower color seems to be white, so it is rather pleasing to find flowers of different colors. Wild geraniums that grow along our lane and in the open woods sport light violet to pink flowers.
Also known as Cranesbill, Geranium maculatum, the Wild Geranium has five-parted, deeply lobed leaves and occurs in shady, wooded areas and roadsides.
Wild geranium in the mountainous forest of central Pennsylvania.
Lilac-toned flower of Cranesbill.
Flowers with five large, rounded petals occur in small clusters with only one or two blooms open at a given time. The “cranesbill” — which is the future seedpod — lies at the center of each flower. Stems and sepals are very hairy.
Erect seedpods that become elongated as they mature give this woodland Geranium its common name, Cranesbill.
Later in the season, when the seeds are fully mature, the seedpods burst open and forcefully eject the seeds to colonize new areas.