Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)

Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)

Wild geranium opens its five‑petaled flowers at the tips of leafy stems that stand one to three feet tall, but what draws pollinators in isn’t just the color—it’s the timing. By the time these lavender blossoms appear in May, many early‑spring ephemerals have already faded, and bumble bees, miner bees, and syrphid flies are eager for new pollen sources. Wild geranium obliges with generous pollen (but no nectar), and those visits help fuel the next wave of woodland insects. Its deeply cut, five‑ to seven‑lobed leaves catch the shifting light along woodland edges, while the basal leaves—four to five inches long, coarsely veined, and sharply toothed—anchor the plant in the cool soils of dry or moist woodlands, shaded meadows, and partial‑shade forest openings. Loose clusters of two to five flowers form at the ends of branching stems, each bloom one to one‑and‑a‑half inches across, lifting just high enough to meet the foraging paths of early‑season pollinators.

Sources:

USDA Forest Service – Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium)

Minnesota Wildflowers – Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)

Illinois Wildflowers – Wild Geranium

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Geranium maculatum

Wisconsin DNR – Wisconsin Native Plants: Wild Geranium

Missouri Botanical Garden – Geranium maculatum: Ecology and Identification

(LS)