Our bleeding hearts

Bleeding heart, on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, on a recent evening.

As pretty as it is, I actually prefer a native alternative,  Dicentra eximia, or fringed bleeding heart - a Northeastern wildflower which continues to bloom through to chilly weather, unlike many of its indigenous and ephemeral spring brethren, such as trout lilies, woodland phlox, trillium and Virginia bluebells (to name a small, lovely handful), which retreat beneath the earth once warm weather starts.