Penny Perspectives - Blue-Eyed Mary

Day 219: Nosegays of Forget-me-nots get all the press when it comes to "little blue flowers," but for sheer blueness, nothing can rival Blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia parviflora). Although at first glance, her dainty blossom seems to have four petals, in actuality a fifth lurks behind the lower two. The lower petals are usually darker than the upper two. The flower forms a nodding tube, bent at the throat (side view to the right and immediately behind the open face). Look for Collinsias along Westside Road and in other low to mid-elevation locations, and keep in mind the "Penny Perspective" for scale.