Columbine Flower

Columbine Flower
A purple, yellow, and white columbine flower.

Columbine Flower. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A purple, yellow, and white columbine flower.

The first time I recall seeing, or at least recognizing, a Columbine flower was on a long-ago Sierra backpacking trip that took me way up high. Those versions of this flower are essentially white, and their graceful shape surprised me in the high, rugged terrain. The flower became one of my Sierra favorites, and I’ve always associated it with the high country.

Encountering these Columbines near sea level in the San Francisco Bay Area reminded me that there’s more to this kind of flower than that initial experience — though it also reminded me of high country visits. These versions of the flower were quite beautiful, combining the familiar white with purple and yellow. I photographed this on as a last bit of filtered sunlight back-lit the petals.


G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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