1/2-pint plug
Exposure: Sun-partial-shade
Soil: Dry-medium
Height: 2-3'
Bloom: May-June
Description: Wild Geranium has beautiful pinkish-purple flowers and it readily spreads, forming stunning patches that everything from bees to butterflies can't resist. Mostly found in woodlands in the wild, it does just as well in full sun! We like it planted around your oaks instead of hostas. Interestingly, Wild Geranium has a unique way of spreading its seeds. Each seed is packed into a pod and the pods are attached to a structure that resembles a crane's bill. As the bill dries, it catapults the seeds away from the parent plant. Each seed has a small tail-like structure attached to it that bends and moves in response to changes in humidity, which helps to drive the seed into the soil where it can safely germinate. We highly recommend wild geranium in gardens and savanna restorations!
Attracts: The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract bumblebees, mason bees (Osmia spp.), cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), long-horned bees (Synhalonia spp.), Halictid bees (Lasioglossum spp., etc.), Andrenid bees (Andrena spp.), and other bees. An Andrenid bee, Andrena distans, is a specialist pollinator of Wild Geranium. The flowers also attract Syrphid flies, dance flies (Empis spp.), butterflies, and skippers. Other insects feed on the leaves and other parts of Wild Geranium. This includes leaf-mining larvae of the beetle Pachyschelus purpureus, Acyrthosiphon malvae (Geranium Aphid) and Macrosiphum geranii (Wild Geranium Aphid), Metriorrhynchomiris dislocatus (Yellow Plant Bug), burrowing bugs (Sehirus spp.), stink bugs (Euschistus spp.), and ebony bugs (Corimelaena spp.). The caterpillars of some moths species also feed on Wild Geranium, including Lacinipolia lorea (Bridled Arches), Heliothis virescens (Geranium Budworm Moth, Tobacco Budworm Moth), and Archips purpurana (Omnivorous Leafroller Moth).
