Columbine’s are doing really well in Chicago this year. They self seed pretty aggressively, so you are never sure where a new one will pop up. And the color combos always blow my mind. Fortunately, a white one decided to grow next to my black plastic compost bin, which makes a great backdrop when photographing a white flower. Serendipity ! If you look closely, this columbine is not pure white – it has some touches of the palest pink, and even a little greenish yellow.

The name, aquilegia, comes from the Latin word for eagle which refers to the flower's five spurs, since these apparently resemble an eagle's talon.

Whenever I hear the word columbine, it makes me think of the aria in the opera, I Pagliacci, “O Columbina, il tenero fido Arlecchin”.