Overlooked beauty: Blue toadflax
So many of our wildflowers are relatively small and easily overlooked; blue toadflax (Nuttallanthus canadensis) is one of these. Common in “waste places”, sandy areas and the sides of roads, this little beauty is native to Canada and the eastern United States. Although the plant itself is typically a foot or two tall, its thin stem, narrow leaves, and tiny flowers (each only ~1/4 long), cause this wildflower to be easily overlooked.
Next time you take a walk, give yourself an interesting challenge: What’s the smallest flower you can find?
4 thoughts on “Overlooked beauty: Blue toadflax”
Loved seeing yellow trout lily, northern starflower, and Canada mayflower on a recent hike! A few tiny unknown white-ish violas too.
Those are some awesome finds. I love trout lilies, but rarely see them around here. I’m not sure what white-ish violas you saw (there are so many violet species!) but there’s a really cute white-flowered lance-leaved violet that’s common at wetland edges.
The picture reminded me of the Violets I I added to my file of “previously unknown to me edible plants last season. It was my first forage of the year and Wild Grapes(Riverbank) closed out the year(also a new one for me last fall. The Violets make for the most beautiful salad ever especially when paired only with it’s own dainty little greens.
Violets also make a gorgeous syrup if you’re up for a little more processing. It’s easy, but does involve a couple more steps than just tossing the fresh blossoms on a salad.
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