Pretty in pink

This is a native wildflower I found blooming on July 19. I did not remember seeing this very pretty pink flower. Noting that it was growing near a pond well away from any yard or garden, I still suspected that it may be a non-native species that somehow found its way into the wilds of southeast Missouri. I drove nearby roads looking from my vehicle into the yards of the surrounding area, but saw no such pink flower.

After looking on several websites searching for Missouri wildflowers, I finally made a connection. On the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center site, I found identical photos and information about this flower. The site is wildflower.org.

It is called rosepink, rose pink and, also, bitterbloom. It is a native wildflower that exists in about 26 states. If you draw a line from Kansas to New York then south to Florida and west to include Texas and back to Kansas, you will have enclosed the range of rosepink. This wildflower seems to be rare in most of southeast Missouri, but not rated as endangered. On each plant flowers appear in bunches on stems that are small, tough and have four distinct flat sides instead of rounded stems common to most other flowering plants. Rosepink blooms from June through September.

Through the Woods is a weekly nature column by Aaron Horrell. Find this column at semissourian.com to order a reprint of the photo. Find more of Horrell's work at the Painted Wren Gallery in downtown Cape Girardeau.