Nemophila menziesii var. integrifolia

Baby blue eyes

Family: Hydrophyllaceae · Type: annual · Native

Baby blue eyes is a California native annual found in northern Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, central Coast, southern coastal ranges, southwestern California, northeastern Sierra Nevada, and eastern desert mountains in grasslands, canyons, woodlands, and burned slopes at elevations of 100 to 1,900 meters. Flowering from January to July, this delicate plant produces distinctive blue flowers with black dots at the center, typically 6 to 15 millimeters wide. Growing with slender stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it forms loose, spreading clusters across open landscapes. Its lower leaves have 5 to 7 lobes, while upper leaves are diamond-shaped or oblanceolate, ranging from entire to slightly toothed. Seeds develop in small clusters, contributing to the plant's ability to reseed in disturbed or open habitats.

Habitat: Grassland, canyons, woodland, burns, slopes

Bloom period: Jan-Jul

Elevation: 100-1900 m

Bioregions: n SNH, SnJV, CCo, SCoR, SW, SNE, DMoj

California counties: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, Ventura, Inyo, Imperial, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Lake, Monterey, Marin, Mariposa, Placer, Mendocino

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.