Alicia Hauff Studio
Mixed Media Fine Artist in Fargo, ND
“Wild Geranium, Footing the Bill for Pollinators”
$1,920.00
“A common woodland native, found throughout the eastern half of the U.S, Wild Geranium delivers an abundance of bright lavender flowers that are super-attractive to pollinators. Solitary bees, bumble bees and several species of butterflies are drawn to its nectar and pollen. This is a great plant for offering pollinator support in the spring.
The long-lived plants expand to form a nice mounded mass, covered with flowers. Deeply lobed palmate leaves stay attractive all season-long in the shade, where it can eventually form a very nice ground cover. Geranium maculatum does prefer shade or partial shade, but it will grow in full sun if the soil is rich and consistently damp.
Also called Cranesbill, a common name which refers to the pointy structure on the seed pod that serves to jetison the mature seed pods away from the parent plant.
Wild geranium is a larval host plant for the White-Marked Tussock moth Orgyia leucostigma.”
(Source: Prairie Nursery based in Westfield, WI)
Pollination Facts:
- Cranesbill Seed Pods: After successful pollination, the pistil elongates into a beak-like capsule that resembles a crane’s bill (giving it the common name “cranesbill”).
- Ballistic Ejection: When mature, the seed capsule splits explosively into five parts, flinging seeds up to 10 to 30 feet away from the parent plant.
- Humidity-Driven Seeds: Each seed features a tail-like awn that twists and moves in response to humidity changes, which helps drill the seed directly into the soil
Key Pollinators and Visitors:
- Native Bees: Large bees like bumblebees and mason bees are the most effective pollinators, brushing their abdomens against the anthers.
- Specialist Bees: The mining bee Andrena distans is an oligolege (specialist) that relies heavily on wild geranium.
- Syrphid flies frequently visit to feed on nectar and pollen.
- Butterflies & Skippers: Smaller butterflies and skippers are also drawn to the open, upward-facing blooms.
Who is in this piece?
This piece features a White Marked Tussock Moth adult (top center) and caterpillar (far right, funky fellow), a Syrphid (hoverfly) fly (far left upper), a Bumblebee (upper right center), and the Andrena distans Mining bee just below the moth
Frame Details: Hard maple float frame
Framed Size: 31x41x2(inches)
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We offer hand made custom frames constructed from natural wood of your choice. Click on the photos below to open and preview the frame options.
All orders will be shipped in 3-10 business days via USPS Priority mail, UPS or FedEx, depending on the size of the item and whether framing was desired. For medium to larger works, and if crating is needed to safely ship, it will be UPS or FedEX. USPS can ship larger works but it is a lot more expensive!
If I anticipate framing will take longer for any reason, I will reach out and let you know! You will receive a tracking number via email once the work has shipped.
If you are in the Fargo-Moorhead area and wish to pick it up, please select STUDIOPICKUP at checkout. I will have a table in the front lobby with your piece labeled for pick-up between the hours of 8 AM and 5 PM. I will always try to say hello if I am in the studio!
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