Mineral Wildflower Festival

Technical Name

• Myosotis scorpioides (Water Forget-Me-Not) or Myosotis sylvatica (Woodland Forget-Me-Not)

Informal Names

• Forget-me-not

• True forget-me-not

• Water mouse-ear

• Scorpion grass

Key Characteristics

• Sky-Blue Flat Corolla: Features small, five-lobed, flat flowers that are a brilliant, clear sky-blue. Each blossom is anchored by a distinctive, raised central ring (faucial appendages) that glows a bright yellow or white, acting as a clear nectar guide.

• Scorpioid Cymes: The flowers are arranged along unique, coiled stalks that curve tightly at the tip like a scorpion’s tail. As the lower flowers bloom and age, the stalk gradually unwinds and elongates.

• Hairy, Mouse-Ear Leaves: The leaves are oblong to lance-shaped, a soft green, and covered in fine, short hairs. The genus name Myosotis literally translates from Greek to "mouse-ear," describing the soft texture and shape of the foliage.

• Growth Habit: A low-growing, spreading perennial or biennial herb that forms lush, dense mats using creeping stolons (runners), sending up flowering stems roughly 6 to 18 inches tall.

Notable Significance

• The Legend of Everlasting Remembrance: The romantic common name stems from a European legend of a medieval knight who was gathering these blue flowers along a swift river for his lady. Heavy armor caused him to fall into the torrent, and as he was swept away, he tossed the bouquet to her on the bank, crying out, "Forget me not!"

• An Exotic Naturalized Resident: Native to Europe and Asia, forget-me-nots were brought to North America as beloved garden ornamentals. They have since escaped cultivation and naturalized extensively. Myosotis scorpioides, in particular, adapts so aggressively to wet microclimates that it is considered a non-native invasive weed in some wetlands, where it can choke out slow-growing native aquatic flora.

• Pollinator Target: The bright yellow ring at the center serves as a target for small, long-tongued insects like hoverflies, bee flies, and native solitary bees, who are rewarded with sweet nectar at the base of the short floral tube.

Locations Found

• Habitat: Heavily relies on high-moisture ecosystems. It is found dominating wet mountain meadows, marsh edges, muddy stream banks, shaded seeps, and saturated roadside ditches.

• Local Context: Highly successful across the cool, damp microclimates of Northern California. In the 96063 area, these dense blue carpets are a classic mid-summer sight, often growing directly alongside other moisture-lovers like Bigelow's Sneezeweed in slow-moving mountain runoff creeks.