Blue Curl

The Blue Curl is such a beautiful flower.... but I must say I have found little written about it. It is from the mint family, though when bruised, it doesn't smell very minty. It is native and grows up and down the Eastern part of the United States of America and Eastern Canada. Indiana has it listed as Rare, and Michigan lists it as Threatened. It is partial to sandy soil and sunny locations. The lower petal serves as the landing pad for native bees that partake of its nectar. This lower petal is marked with a patch of white with purple polka-dots..... to me it looks like we can see the flowers bloomers. The stamen and style are quite long and curl over the top of the flower. Most people would never notice this flower growing on the road side because it is rather small..... but this year in the North East it really would not be noticed. With the drought like conditions that we experienced during the growing season, this flower appeared at a fraction of its usual size. The photo you see is of the Blue Curls that grew in my yard last year. This flower is about 3/4 of an inch in size .... If I photographed this years it would have been difficult for me to get an in focus photo ..... the flowers were so tiny.... maybe...an 1/8 of an inch or less. When I got down to really look at it I could barely make out the stamen. You have got to hand it to these little troopers, they did their best in rough conditions.... I wonder how the bees could have pollinated them..... maybe some smaller insect was able to accomplish the task. Give yourself a treat and click on the photo to really see the flowers beauty.... it really is one of the most stunning flowers I have ever seen. 

Where I found it : in a sandy patch where we use to set up our skating rink.