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 
Merténsia 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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