Wildflower Wednesday ~ True Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis Scorpioides)

This week's flower is the small but mighty cute True Forget-Me-Not.  We see this wildflower all over the place, all summer long and they always puts a smile on my face.  I hope this post does the same for you!! :)

• a herbaceous perennial plant that flowers from May through to the first frosts of October.
• was introduced from Asia and Europe - is now naturalized over much of North America.  
• is considered a noxious weed(*) in Connecticut and Massachussetts.   
• is a member of the Borage Family.
• the five lobed flowers are only 1/4 of an inch across and are light blue with a yellow centre, called a corolla.
• the leaves are oblong, hairy and stalkless, about 1 - 2 inches in size.  
• they grow 6 - 24 inches in height, thriving in or near wet spaces such as rivers, streams and bogs.
• The name 'myosotis' is Greek for 'mouse ear' in relation to the shape of the leaves.
• The name 'scorpioides' is in reference to the tightly coiled flower bud clusters which are said to resemble a scorpion.
• the French called them 'Ne m'oubliez pas.'  It is suggested that term was first anglicized and used as Forget-Me-Not back in 1532. 
• the seeds are in pods found along the stem.  If you want to collect its seeds all you have to do is put something underneath the stem and give the plant a shake.
• an abundance of folklore and legend surround this wildflower.  There is a German legend that suggests when God forgot to name it, it cried out 'forget me not,' and so that is what God so named it. 
• another legend suggests a young Jesus wanted to preserve the beauty of Mary's blue eyes and so he touched them, waved his hand over the ground and Forget-Me-Nots appeared.
• there is a story in medieval legend where a knight falls into a river while picking flowers for his ladylove; as he is drowning, he throws up the flowers to her and shouts 'forget me not.'
• Henry IV adopted the True Forget-Me-Not as his symbol during his exile in 1398 and upon his return to England a year later.

"It is one of the most interesting minute flowers.  It is the more beautiful for being small and unpretending; even flowers must be modest."  HD Thoreau  

*Noxious Weed: refers to an invasive species of plant that has been designated as one that injurious to agricultural and/or horticultural crops, natural habitats and/or ecosystems and/or humans or livestock.