Scutellaria lateriflora
Mad-dog skull cap
 
Who would mess with a plant known as “mad-dog skull cap”? If you envisioned a thorny plant that bites you back, well…sorry, you’d be incorrect. This low, side-spreading, flowering plant has neither thorns nor teeth. We aren’t sure where the “Mad-dog” epithet comes from, but the “skullcap” part comes from the shape of the flowers, which resemble the military helmets worn by soldiers in the Middle Ages.
 
This low-growing herb is in the mint family, and loves boggy, wet soils. The square-shaped stems support dark green toothed leaves, and tiny blue-purple flowers.