Thursday, July 28, 2011

Viper's Bugloss (formerly Mystery bloom)

VIPER'S BUGLOSS (ECHIUM VULGARE) UNKNOWN WILDFLOWER, SAULT STE. MARIE, ONTARIO, JULY 21, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 17-70 at 70mm
1/160 sec. f16
ISO 400

While I was waiting for a train at the Soo, I spotted these gorgeous dime-sized blooms in the weeds at trackside and captured them for my wildflower collection. But I have no idea what they are and they don't appear in any of my wildflower books. Can anyone clue me in? UPDATE: This turns out to be Viper's Bugloss, a.k.a. Blueweed, Blue Devil, Blue Thistle, Viper's Grass, a weed native to Europe and west and central Asia, but an invasive species in North America.

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