A year ago my friend B texted that she’d found another stand of Baptisia australis (wild blue indigo; Fabaceae; S2/threatened) along the Potomac near Great Falls. I tried searching for it but a broken wrist prevented me from doing the necessary rock scrambling. This year, though, I was able to go out and find the plants on a sunny, breezy afternoon. They were a bit past peak bloom but still magnificent.

Blue false indigo is a prairie species with just a few populations in Maryland. Search for them on the rocky scour bars of the Potomac River.

The baptisia aren’t the only blue flowers showing now. Along the towpath in ditches at Bear Island, blue flag irises are starting to bloom.  These are probably Iris versicolor, though they could be I. virginica. Wondering why I can’t say for sure which species?  Check out my iris obsession of 2017 in a series of 8 posts, starting with this one.

Scattered about in drier areas are clumps of blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium; Iridaceae).

And in just a few scattered locations are small stands of Scutellaria saxatilis (smooth rock skullcap; Lamiaceae), which is S1 (highly state rare) and endangered in Maryland.