Tag Archives: Sisyrinchium

Blue May

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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.

Like a Marble, or an Eye

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More small blue things from May. Between travel and rain I haven’t had the opportunity to go hunting in Maryland for several weeks now.

This annual is truly one of my favorites, and I make a point of hunting for it every year. Venus’ looking glass (Triodanis perfoliata) likes poor soils; look for it in open rocky or sandy places.

 

 

I have been having so much fun shooting with The Beast (70-200mm lens). Just look at the sparkle on those petals!

 

 

 

This is a species of Sisyrinchium, probably S. angustifolium though I can’t be sure. Blue-eyed grass is the common name, and indeed the leaves are grass-like. It’s in the iris family.

 

And speaking of irises, the ones I obsessed over last year are going strong. The ones along the canal are, anyway. The ones in the vernal pool are growing like crazy but I haven’t seen flowers on them yet.

I wish I had some new pictures of Baptisia australis to share, but honestly I haven’t even been out to shoot them. We’ve had tremendous amounts of (badly needed) rain in recent weeks, and I know that part of the river well enough to know that one stand is under water. Here’s what they looked like budding up in early May this year.


The other stand I’m sure is fine, but the channel I need to cross to get at them is flooded, too. Here’s a picture from last year.