By Scott Shephard

As many of you know, this is the columbine flower. It is so common in this part of the world, you may not even notice it as you walk by it. But it’s a complicated and, I think, beautiful addition to any garden.

I say “complicated” because if you do a search for “columbine” on Google the results are about anything but flowers. Instead, you get countless articles about the school in Colorado that put school shootings on the map. (It is worth noting, incidentally, that the blue columbine is the Colorado state flower.)

If you do a search for “columbine flower” you will find that the flower has more than one name and means many things depending on when and where you live. “Columbine” comes from the Latin word for “dove.” But its scientific name, aquilegia, comes from the Latin word for “eagle.”

Of all the symbolic meanings of the flower, I found that to some the columbine represents wisdom, strength and happiness. And if there was ever a time for the bolstering of those important qualities, the era of protests and pandemics is that time.

How about going out and looking for columbines today?

Canon 5DIII f/2.8 1/250 sec 250 iso Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro