Spring Flowers: Virginia Bluebells

Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebells) is one of the prettiest of the early spring flowers.  The nodding flowers are generally pale blue, but I've seen white, pale purple, and pink as well.  The leaves are large and oval-shaped.  The flower shape makes butterflies the most common pollinator, since they can perch on the flowers while eating the nectar.  The plants can form large colonies and are widely distributed in rich woods in the eastern U.S. and Canada. 

Pictures (click to enlarge):

 M. virginica at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia in 2011.

 A colony of M. virginica in Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC in 2010.

The white variant of M. virginica in Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC in 2010.