Wild Bleeding Hearts © 2012 Patty Hankins
Wild Bleeding Hearts (dicentra eximia) are one of my favorite spring wildflowers. The soft pinks and purples of the blossoms look so beautiful against the green leaves.
I’ve only found the wild bleeding hearts a few times out in the wild – usually I see it in botanical gardens. My favorite spot for finding them in the wild is in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There is a large patch of them that I’ve photographed several times in the past few years growing right along the side of road on the way out to Cades Cove. Every year, I think I know where they are – and then can’t find them. What usually happens is I drive back and forth along that section of road – until I see a splash of pink out of the corner of my eye! Then it’s usually just a matter of a quick u-turn – hunting for a safe place to park – and I’m photographing in a sea of pink, purple and green just a short walk from my car.
Wild Bleeding Hearts are one of the wildflowers featured in my 2015 Wildflower Calendar. My calendar features photographs of twelve different wildflowers I’ve taken in recent years. Special early bird pricing is available on my 2015 Wildflower calendar until August 31, 2014.
