Green in Winter: Small Geranium

This attractive little weed, Geranium pusillum, is very common in St. Joseph County, Indiana, especially in sandy lawns. Photographed in a South Bend city park on December 23, 2012.

Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)

Photographed at Bendix Woods County Park near New Carlisle, Indiana.

The crushed foliage has a very unusual smell. Notice what looks like a spider with transparent legs lurking among transparent hairs on the calyces of the flowers. Or is it a mosquito?

Wild Geranium - White-Flowered Form

Just for fun, this is Geranium maculatum L. forma albiflorum (Raf.) House. It was photographed in low woods in Porter County, Indiana in 2008. Interesting that one of the flowers has 6 petals.

Another White-flowered Geranium

Since we've recently been on the topic of geraniums with white flowers, I thought I would post a couple of photos of Geranium richardsonii (Richardson's Geranium), a species that we saw flowering near Avon, Colorado a few weeks ago. Within North America, Geranium richardsonii is found from the Northwest Territories south to New Mexico, and west to the Pacific Ocean.


This species is found at a range of altitudes in montane and subalpine forests dominated by spruce or aspen, as well as in meadows. It was named in honor of the 19th century surgeon and naturalist John Richardson.

New Plant Quiz = G. sibiricum

This plant quiz is unrelated to the previous quizzes. In fact, it would be more accurate to call it an unknown. I plan to spend more time researching it, but right now it is still a mystery. Any help is appreciated. The leaves are opposite, uniform, and deeply three-lobed. Habitat - forested floodplain. Location, Wayne County, Indiana, near Richmond. Habit - creeping to semi-erect plant.