The brilliant violet-blue flowers appear on the roadside in summer, when most of the vegetation is drying up and dying back. They are mainly pollinated by long tongued bees which are attracted by the nectar which is produced in the upturned spur.

Larkspurs have been found in the garlands of 3,000 year old Egyptian mummies and still retained a tinge of blue.

The plants belong to the buttercup family and are closely related to delphiniums; like many other plants in this family, are poisonous especially the seeds which contain a potent alkaloid, delphine.