This is a truly delightful little wildflower which is abundant throughout the country in hedgerows, pastures and open woodland. A fairly low-growing hairy plant (20cm at most) it is the bright blue flowers (10-12mm across) which first attract attention. The flowers are 4-lobed with the smallest lobe being lowest, have white centres, have two stamens and are borne on slender stalks in loose racemes. These stems have two opposite lines of hairs. The leaves are pointed, oval, toothed and opposite and the flower stems emerge from the axils of these leaves. This is a native plant which blooms from May to July and it belongs to the family Plantaganiceae
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My earliest record of this wildflower is 1976 at Vartry Reservoir, Co Wicklow and I photographed it in Ballitore, Co Kildare in 2006.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
