This striking blue wildflower is blooming everywhere right now
iNaturalist Community
Native Plants
If you've got a damp, part-shaded corner of your yard or walk near a creek, this is peak season to spot the tall, electric-blue flower spikes of great blue lobelia and add your own sighting to the map.
Great blue lobelia is a native wildflower with tall spikes of vivid blue flowers that grows in wet meadows, along streams, and in moist woodland edges. Right now it's blooming across a huge part of its range, and over a thousand people logged verified sightings on iNaturalist this week. If you live near water or have a soggy spot in your garden, this is a great time to go looking for it.
Key Findings
1,023 research-grade observations of great blue lobelia were logged on iNaturalist in a single week
The species ranks among the most-observed plants on the platform this week, indicating a strong bloom period
Great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) favors moist soils near streams, wetlands, and ditches
chevron_right Technical Summary
Great blue lobelia is having a big moment on iNaturalist, with over 1,000 people logging sightings of its vivid blue flower spikes this week, a sign that late-summer wetland and streamside blooms are peaking across its range.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) — 1023 observations this week
great blue lobelia is among the most observed plant species this week with 1023 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Street trees cut heat deaths by 39 percent in European cities
Trees in your local park or street aren't just pretty — they are literally keeping people alive during heatwaves, and planting even a modest number of the ri...
Lobelia siphilitica, the great blue lobelia, great lobelia, or blue cardinal flower, is a plant species within the family Campanulaceae. It is an herbaceous perennial dicot native to eastern and central Canada and United States. There are two recognized varieties of Lobelia siphilitica, var. siph...