The wild geranium, Geranium maculatum, sometimes called cranesbill, is a perennial wildflower native to eastern North America. It is often found growing in deciduous forests and along woodland edges in rich, mesic soils. Blooming in spring with soft pink to lavender flowers, it is an important early-season nectar and pollen source (like other spring ephemerals) for native bees, flies, and butterflies. The plant is not usually more than two feet high, and it has five-lobed, deeply cleft leaves. Its seeds are dispersed mechanically: as they dry, tension builds until the seed is eventually catapulted away from its parent, helping it to spread locally! At Glenstone, wild geranium can be seen on the Carderock steps near the Gallery and along the Woodland trail.  

–Kevin McDonald