During this time of year, as you approach the edge of a woodland stream or the banks of a secluded pond, you may glimpse a flash of red among all the green.
By far one of the most spectacular wildflowers of Ohio, this spark of scarlet stands out in the damp places where it tends to grow – mostly along waterways.
Each flower has three spreading lower petals and two upper petals, all united into a tube at the base. Its flowers are very attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.
The Cardinal Flower’s blooming period corresponds with the southern migration of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds to Mexico and Central America for the Winter.
It has 4 to 6-inch lance-shaped leaves that alternate up the 2 to 5 foot tall stems. The deep green leaves often have a reddish tint, especially on young growth.
John Burroughs, the 19th-century naturalist, wrote, “When vivid color is wanted, what can surpass or equal our Cardinal Flower? There is a glow about this flower as if color emanated from it as from a live coal.”
