Great Blue Lobelia

I photographed a new flower near a wetland last week - Lobelia.

Great Blue Lobelia

Lobelia was used by many native peoples, in internal preparations and in poultices.  They also smoked portions of it.

This herb was so valuable that it is said it was sometimes a trade item among the tribes here in North America.  Today lobelia is still highly valued by modern consumers of herbal remedies.

Some of its many names show how it was used, its affect and its physical shape.  Here are three:   Indian tobacco, puke weed, and bladder-pod.

Asiatic Dayflower

I was walking along a new trail in an urban park.  The cobweb factor was probably 7 out of 10.  The weeds on both sides were up past my elbows.   Then a splash of blue caught my eye.  Turning to look, I saw what I at first thought was a violet.

Hunkering down to get a closer look, I realized this was not just a common violet.  It was something special, and the only one of its kind as far as I could see.  It had two large blue petals, and what appeared to be tiny yellow flowers coming out of the center.  "That's different," I thought, and snapped away.  I felt like a real botanist at that moment!

Note the third flower petal, which is white, and is located behind the stamens in this photo.

When I came home, it was easy to google this unique flower and find out what it was.  It's an Asiatic dayflower.  These flowers last for only one day.  They bloom in the morning and do their best to attract pollinators with their showy yellow stamens, which I had at first taken for tiny flowers.

The Asiatic dayflower is an invasive species, but you can see why it was brought here.  It is very delicate and beautiful, and I felt like I had found a rare jewel.