Another really common wildflower in the .

Wood cranesbill - Crobh-preachain coille - Geranium sylvaticum

Seeing it so frequently probably leads to people ignoring it, which is a shame. It has delicate petals with lovely gradations in colour.

As the botanical name makes clear it is part of the Geranium family. Likes shaded areas in woods. The cranesbill is a useful source of pigment to dye clothing.

When I was a child my parents had a window sill box with cultivated geraniums. Every year the box would produce a great display of flowers. However, the box made a habit of jumping off the window sill. It always managed to survive.

I once saw a movie where a Native American shouted the name of the Apache leader Geronimo before jumping off a cliff. Due to the closeness in pronunciation, and the "jumping", I used to call the plants Geronimos.

I wish I could remember which movie had the Geronimo scene. I was only around 7 years of age, and the memory has been lost in the mists of time.

I still talk about them being Geronimos, and people look at me as if I'm slightly mad.

@fitheach I love these type of Geraniums. They add a real lift to a shady border

Sign in to participate in the conversation