Wild
Geranium (Geranium maculatum). Also
known as Cranesbill, because of the distinctive
seedpods that look like the head of a long-billed
bird. The “bill” is an ingenious spring-loaded
mechanism that, when the pod dries, suddenly releases
and flings the seeds into the air with amazing force.
The five-petaled flowers come in shades of pink
ranging from lavender to deep rose.
Storksbill (Erodium
cicutarium). These pretty little geranium
flowers are astonishingly adaptable; they came from
Europe, but have made themselves at home as far north
as Greenland and as far south as Texas. In some places
they are listed as a noxious weed. In the Pittsburgh
area they are actually relatively rare, known only in
Allegheny County and not yet found in any of the
surrounding area.