Meadow Cranesbill
Geranium pratense
Family:
Geranium (Geraniaceae)
AKA:
Meadow Geranium
Photo taken on:
July 13, 2023
Location:
Top of Painter Boy lift, Crested Butte Mtn.
Life Zones:
Foothills to subalpine
Habitat:
Moist openings
Grows to 2 feet in clumps with hairy stems. The leaves are deeply divided into 7-9 sharply toothed lobes, 3 to 6 inch wide. The flowers are violet blue, getting paler into the center. The flowers have 5 petals, which sometimes have veins. The stamens have pink-purple stalks with dark purple anthers.
Native to Europe and Asia, this is probably a garden escapee. It was growing at over 10,000 feet and blooming after a heavy snow winter.