One of the prettiest members of a family of extremely good-looking wildflowers, Blue Water-speedwell bears its pale blue flowers (5-6mm) in spikes and is usually found close to streams, rivers and ponds. The stems ascend to about 40cm, and the flowers, between 10 and 40 to a spike, emerge from the axils of both of a pair of opposite leaves. Each of the flowers has petals with veins which come almost to the edge of the petal. Each flower is on a stalk which is longer than the tiny bract which emerges with it from the axil. The leaves are sessile, oval to lanceolate, pointed and barely toothed. The fruits are rounded and their stalks are spreading and erect. The flowers can be seen from June to August. This is a native, annual plant which belongs to the Plantain or Plantagiaceae family.
I first found Blue Water-speedwell near Tomhaggard in Co Wexford in 2015 when I also photographed it.
If you are satisfied you have correctly identified this plant, please submit your sighting to the National Biodiversity Data Centre
