I know what I'm replacing now.

Hi there.

So, I was at this park in Somerville earlier this spring, just walking along a stream. This is very common in NJ, and especially Somerset county. We have a lot of small dinky parks and streams. Anyway, I was looking at both the planted and native plants, of course. I saw many English Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica), which I could not tell were planted or not. Tons of lesser celadine (Ranunculus ficaria), Norway maples (Acer platanoides). You know, the usual. Then I spotted a familiar face. Columbine flowers! Blue ones! Oh no, it's Aquilegia vulgaris. Oh no. Granny's bonnets. Oh no.

So now I'm all freaked. I'll be composting my A. vulgarises tomorrow and replacing them with our native A. canadensis. Except not in red, because I'm not really into red. A. canadensis "Corbett" is a beautiful pale yellow. Like butter. I was totally convinced after I saw this picture on the New York Botanical Garden website (here), in the Native Plant Garden. I haven't been, but now I know I have to go.