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enter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description hereenter image description hereDoes anybody know what this tiny wildflower is? It was just 1/4 of an inch across when fully open (about noon). It was fully closed by about 6 o'clock. It has the smaller, oddly shaped leaves, with the stronger veins. (The larger leaves that you are seeing are pachysandra.) It doesn't seem to be very invasive, since I've never seen one before.

This plant is in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. It is in a protected spot just around the west corner of my house, where it receives strong southern afternoon/evening sun.

The original flower here was living under a gutter downspout, and was decimated by a recent downpour. But, I did find the same thing growing nearby after my friend weed-wacked. The leaves and the stems look the same, with the furry edges. Also, I remember that the smaller leaves had an even shape, while the larger ones grew into an asymmetrical shape. Perhaps this pretty wildflower/weed is more common than I thought! I'm going to try and add the new leaf pictures (as requested), now.

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    Hi, welcome to the site. Could you tell us where abouts in the world this is. It helps a lot with identification.
    – AvieRose
    May 19, 2016 at 19:23
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    You beat me to that same comment Avie Rose! You've provided excellent details Diane, which are a great example of how to get help with identification! In addition to location, would you tell us if that pretty flower is in the sun or shade? Most of my pachysandra is in the shade, so I'm wondering if that's the case with this plant. Also, does the flower have a scent? You can just add the extra details into the question, so everything's in the same place. Thanks!
    – Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
    May 19, 2016 at 19:37
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    Swagin9- Unfortunately, not at this time. Had flooding rain running off the roof that flattened the tiny plant. I will take pictures of the leaves as soon as it recovers.
    – Diane
    May 19, 2016 at 23:55
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    @Brenn- The more I research Cranesbill/ Stork's Bill (as per your suggestion), the more I think that you that you are correct. I am stumped by the dark pink color of the flower petals, but all of the other characteristics are the same. Perhaps this type is so common that nobody ever bothered to post a picture of the tiny flower. Or, maybe one of my migratory birds plante eattheweeds.com/…
    – Diane
    May 23, 2016 at 5:58
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    @ Brenn- "Green Deane’s “Itemized” Plant Profile IDENTIFICATION: Stork’s Bill: Hairy, sticky, sprawling, stems hairy with short white hair and have bright pink five-petaled flowers, in a loose cluster, they often have dark spots on their bases, leaves reddish green, pinnate, fern-like, arranged in two ranks, one on either side of the midrib, to four inches long, seed pod long, shaped a stork bill that bursts open into a spiral when ripe, seeds have little feathery parachutes. Usually ankle high, grows to 12 inches in warmer areas . MAKE SURE THE STEMS ARE HAIRY
    – Diane
    May 23, 2016 at 6:13

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Wow! I found it! Thank you all for all of your helpful questions and suggestions, which led me to the answer.

Carolina Modiola, Carolina Bristle-mallow, Creeping Mallow, Red-flowered Mallow http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/340738/#benter image description here

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  • @Brenn- I searched "creeping" wild geranium and found this look-alike. I gather that it is a non-native wildflower/weed, but it's pretty. So, I'm going to leave it alone and let it grow, for now. At least now I know what it is!
    – Diane
    May 23, 2016 at 19:35

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