Of the 20 species native to
North America,
this is the only one with a predominantly eastern
distribution.
2-3 feet tall
Nodding
flowers with yellow sepals and red spurs. The
petals form a hollow red, upward pointing spur
where nectar is produced.
Serpentine and blotch leaf miners often disfigure the
leaves of columbine with their mines. Hand-picking or
spraying with insecticides when the mines are first seen
holds them in check. Columbine aphid and the
caterpillars of a skipper butterfly are occasional pests.
'Corbett' - very
floriferous, yellow flowered cultivar, 12-24
inches tall.
Sometimes bumblebees will perforate the nectar spurs of
the flowers because they are too large to enter by the
usual opening.
