# Virginia bluebells

*Mertensia virginica*

The flower buds start as a bright pink and transition to deep blue as they open, a result of the cell sap increasing in alkalinity.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Boraginales › Boraginaceae › Mertensia
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Moist deciduous woodlands, floodplains, and riverbanks.
- **Diet:** Photosynthetic; absorbs nutrients from rich alluvial soils.
- **Range:** Eastern North America, Appalachian Mountains, Mississippi River Valley
- **Size:** 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 inches) tall.
- **Lifespan:** Perennial; individual rootstocks can live for several decades.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss, invasive species such as garlic mustard, and over-grazing by high deer populations.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. Safe to approach and photograph. Avoid stepping on the base of the plant or picking the blooms, as they are delicate and wilt rapidly. No medical action is required for contact.

## About

Mertensia virginica (common names Virginia bluebells , Virginia cowslip , lungwort oysterleaf , Roanoke bells ) is a spring ephemeral plant with bell-shaped sky-blue flowers, native to eastern North America.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/f1090e04-6cad-4c70-ad34-7de5260c421b
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/59771
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mertensia virginica
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/13594/medium.jpg (Bob Gutowski, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.