Wild flowers

Today while riding in the woods I found these little blue and white flowers.  I have been riding daily taking notice of any new wildflowers.  Dandilions have open their yellow flowers today.  But the little blue and white were new to me.  Upon getting home I got out a favorite book that I recieved back in 1998 from a dear friend.  The book is titled Michigan Wildwood in Color by Harry C. Lund.   I was so surprised when I descovered the name of this beautiful little flower--- Blue-eyed Mary!
       Here is what the Harry says about the Blue-Eyed Mary-

Bicolored flowers with a whaite upper lip and bright blue lower.  5 petals notched at tips; appear as 4 with a 5th petal folded length wise and hidden between the other 2 blue petals.Lower leaves ar broad to nearly round on long leavstalks.  Upper leaves mostly long , narrow stalkless, and in opposite pairs or in whorls.  margins coarsely toothed to entire.  Stems are single or many, smooth below and slightly hairy above.  This species is not widely distributed but where found forms brilliant , showy colonies, especially on wooded river-bottom soils. 

      I feel akin to the Blue-Eyed Mary as I love our woods with its many streams and revines.  I liked that part about the 5th petal being hidden sort of like me with a part of my spirit being secret, private and hermit like
     It is my goal for this spring summer to ride as often as possible caring my camera to record new, beautiful, unusual things along the way.  I have always loved wildflowers -flowers of anykind.  As I capture the flowers with my camera I am entering them in a sketchbook and trying to identify them using various books.

Sketch of the Blue-Eyed Mary wildflower done with watercolor and a little ink