Posts Tagged "viper’s bugloss"

Viper’s Bugloss: Snake in the Grass

Posted by Anita on Oct 8, 2013 in fall, flowers, Unmowed Blog, wildlife | 0 comments

This lovely snake is not a viper, far from it–a more harmless and gentle little creature never lived. It’s a grass snake, also known as a green snake, who crossed my path on a hiking trail in New Brunswick, and obligingly posed for photographs before melting into the ferns on the side of the trail. Funny, when I parked the car at the trailhead, I noticed a beautiful blue plant lurking next to the garbage can–viper’s bugloss. A  strange name. It’s a Eurasian import, and “Bugloss” has ancient Greek roots meaning ox tongue, which probably refers to the...