June 2017: The columbine [Aquilegia vulgaris] (Akelei) is a wonderful herald of early summer. It belongs to the crowfoot family [Ranunculaceae]. This is the wild variety with an uncommon dark purple that grows in the woods. The columbines in my garden bloom some weeks earlier than these wild ones. To avoid self-pollination the stamina develop earlier than the stigma. The plant is poisonous, it contains a cyanide glycoside (carcinogenic). Distribution: http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/ranuncula/aquil/aquivulv.jpg
