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Family: Geraniaceae (Geranium family)
Mid-Atlantic bloom time:
March - June
Mid-Atlantic fruit ripe:
April - July
Redstem Stork's-bill is a perennial herb that typically grows in rosettes pressed flat to the ground, with a deep tap root that allows it to survive through the summer on dry soils. Its pink to lavender flowers are approximately 1cm across. Its long seed-pod, shaped somewhat like the bill of a stork, bursts open in a spiral when ripe, sending the seeds into the air.
The awn of each seed, once on the ground, responds to the humidity of the environment and changes its shape accordingly. The awn coils under dehydration and uncoils when wet. This results in motor action of the seed, which, combined with the hairs on the seed and along the length of the awns, moves the seed across the surface, eventually positioning it into a crevice and creating a drilling action that forces the seed into the ground.
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3 April 2026
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA 
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3 April 2026
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA 
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3 April 2026
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA 
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3 April 2026
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA 
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3 April 2026
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA (ripening seedpods) 
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3 April 2026
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA (ripening seedpods) 
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3 April 2026
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA 
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