Several pots of this beautiful Aquilegia were given to me by my next door neighbour who grew them from seed. In shape it bears a clear resemblance to our native Aquilegia vulgaris -from which various garden varieties have been bred- but this is the American Aquilegia formosa. The intense red and yellow flowers are a striking contrast to the blue/purple tones of A. vulgaris.
 I was particularly pleased to accept this gift as I had seen them growing in great number last year on the slopes of Mount Eddy in northern California where the snow melt creates lush meadows in summer:

 I'll be heading to the States again this summer to do some hiking in the Lake Tahoe area on the California/Nevada border. The Meiss Meadows Roadless Area and the Desolation Wilderness can be accessed from Tahoe using the Pacific Crest Trail so maybe I'll get to see some more of A. formosa in its natural habitat.