BLUE AND PURPLE WILD FLOWERS 



generic name, Myosotis, is from the Greek, meaning 

 Mouse-ear, and alludes to the leaves. 



VIRGINIA COWSLIP. TREE LUNGWORT. 

 BLUE BELLS Of 



Mertensia virginica. Borage Family. 



The beautiful, showy, blue-purple bells of the Vir- 

 ginia Cowslip delight the eyes of those who are fortunate 

 enough to stroll along the brooks of some low meadow 

 during the spring when this plant is in flower. The 

 smooth, stout, pale green stalk is either single or branch- 

 ing and grows one or two feet high. The large, veiny, 

 pointed oblong or oval leaves are dark green and tooth- 

 less, and they alternate upon the stalk. The upper 

 ones are seated upon the stalk, and the lower ones 

 are narrowed into long stems. The pretty five-lobed, 

 spreading, trumpet-shaped flowers are an inch long, 

 and are gathered in a loose terminal cluster, from which 

 they spread or hang. They are pinkish in bud, becom- 

 ing purplish when in blossom, and finally bluish as they 

 fade. This handsome perennial is a lover of moist, wet 

 situations, and often grows in great masses. It blooms 

 from March to May, from New York and South Caro- 

 lina to Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota and Ontario. 



VIPER'S BUGLOSS. BLUEWEED. SNAKE 

 FLOWER. BLUE THISTLE 



Echium vulgare. Borage Family. 



In some sections of the country, this plant has been 

 regarded as a troublesome weed, and one that is not 

 easily discouraged by frequent attempts to eradicate it 



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