Arrival of the genus Aquilegia (Columbine) into North America occurred 10,000 to 40,000 years ago, when the Bering land bridge had once connected Asia to North America. The first columbine species branched out into Alaska and throughout the North American continent. During this expansion, new habitats and pollinators created the development of differently shaped and colored flowers. Found in meadows, woodlands, and at higher altitudes throughout the Northern Hemisphere, the Columbine is a hardy perennial plant that propagates easily by seed. Primarily, long-beaked birds such as hummingbirds ingest the sweet nectar. Several species of butterfly and moth caterpillars rely on this plant for food. In small quantities the flowers are known to be very sweet and safe for human consumption. As a condiment with other greens, the flowers of various species were consumed by Native Americans. Columbine is a beautiful plant for pollinator gardens, borders, wildflower meadows, and shade gardens. This is a hand-painted digital image created in Spadecaller’s Florida Studio on 6/11/2022. All images created by Spadecaller (Matthew Schwartz) are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, downloaded, distributed, transmitted, copied, reproduced in derivative works, displayed, published, or broadcast by any means or in any form without prior written consent from the artist.