Hands in the Dirt: Wild Geranium

Photo and article by Donna Iverson
 
A walk in the woods this time of year rewards you with more than fresh air, exercise and calming negative ions. The spring ephemeral wildflowers are in bloom. Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) is one of them.  

Also known as cranesbill, the wild geranium grows mostly along the edge of woodlands. Each plant grows to a height of about 12 to 28 inches high. It spreads to a width of about 12 to 18  inches.

Like most spring wildflowers, wild geranium is short lived.  It blooms for about a month. Unlike its larger cousin, it attracts pollinators ..especially bees.

Its delicate five-petal pink flowers look nothing like the garden geraniums found in many a potted plant on our porch steps. It is, in fact, from a different plant family. The wild geranium is from the Geranium genus while the larger garden geranium is a Pelargonium. (The later cultivar is a native of South Africa.)

If you have the right habitat, you can grow wild geranium in your yard. Later this summer, the wild geranium will produce brown seed pods. And collecting them on public land is permitted. Be careful not to damage the plants.  Seeds can also be bought from nurseries that specialize in wild flowers. These include the Vermont Wild Flower farm and the Prairie Moon Nursery in Minnesota.
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Even if you don’t grow wild geranium, it is a treat to find it along woodland pathways.  I found mine along the Fred Meijer Junction trail near Whitehall. It grew near columbine and pink honeysuckle.