Prairie Flax
Wild Blue Flax has small, blue, saucer-shaped flowers (.75-1.5 in across) on a cluster of arching stems (1-2 ft) with long, narrow leaves. It flowers from May to July with one flower appearing at a time on each stem, opening in the morning and closing by late afternoon.
Wild Blue Flax thrives in dry, sandy soil in sunny areas and can be found throughout Canada (except for the Maritimes) and the western two thirds of the United States (and Alaska).
Wild Blue Flax looks very similar to cultivated flax; however, cultivated flax is an annual, not a perennial, and was imported from Eurasia.
Did you know? Indigenous peoples of North America used to use the tough fibrous stems for string, mats, snowshoes, fishing nets, and baskets.
Easy - numerous and usually easy to spot
in the habitats listed at the appropriate time of
year.
Grasslands are large open areas covered with
grasses. They have very few trees or shrubs.
This habitat includes prairies and tundra.