FARMINGTON, NY — In the hamlet of Mertensia, off Mertensia Road in Mertensia Park, you will find Virginia mertensia.
Bluebells, as they are known, and lots of them.
This time of year, lilacs are showered with accolades in the Rochester area, but bluebells by the hundreds line the well-worn, third-of-a-mile Rotary Centennial Walking Path through the park and along the rushing waters of Mud Creek.
Their fans sing the blues, in a happy way.
On Saturday, plein air artists, many stocked up with shades of blue paints, will set up easels in the park. Inspiration abounds.
You also might find people like Roger Beyer, who with his wife comes to the park every year around this time just to see the bluebells.
“It’s beautiful,” Beyer said. “The blue is striking. It’s hard to explain unless you see it. Just fields of it.”
A group of volunteers are working to make sure the bluebells thrill visitors for years to come, and they do put in some hard work.
What are bluebells?
But first, a bit more about the now-you-see-’em-now you-don’t bluebell.