columbine

A wildflower of the genus Aquilegia — delicate, spurred, nodding blooms in red, blue, yellow, or white, found in mountain meadows, rocky slopes, and open woodland across the Northern Hemisphere. The spurs contain nectar accessible only to long-tongued pollinators — hummingbirds and hawkmoths. Each species' spur length has co-evolved with its pollinator's tongue. The flower looks fragile but grows in harsh terrain: rock crevices, talus slopes, alpine scree.