Mertensia virginica

Virginia Bluebell, Virginia Cowslip

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Family: Boraginaceae (Borage family)

Mid-Atlantic bloom time: March - May

Virginia Bluebell is one of the iconic early-blooming ephemerals in mid-Atlantic moist woodlands and along streams. Its foliage typically starts as purple, but quickly turns green. Its flowers have a distinctive sweet fragrance that is especially apparent in large groups of flowers on a warm spring day.

20 April 2005 Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA	20 April 2005 Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA	19 March 2006 Turkey Run, George Washington Scenic Parkway, McLean, VA	20 April 2005 Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA
20 April 2005 Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA	20 April 2005 Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA	6 April 2014 Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA	20 April 2005 Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA
9 March 2020 Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas, VA	22 March 2020 Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA	14 April 2019 Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area, Aden, VA (with Tiger Swallowtail feeding)	11 Apreil 2018 Riverbend Park, Great Falls, VA (white-flowered variation)
7 March 2024 Broad Run Trail, Bristow, VA (emerging flowers)	2 April 2025 Riverbend Park, Great Falls, VA	2 April 2025 Riverbend Park, Great Falls, VA (white-flowered variation)	12 April 2025 Riverbend Park, Great Falls, VA (post-bloom flowers)

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