Most of the species in Nemophila contain the phrase "baby blue eyes" in their common names.

Their flowers have five petals and are bell or cup-shaped, and purple, blue, or white in color, often spotted or marked.

Generally the genus is native to United States of America, (they are found within the states of Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming), Canada (they are found within the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia) and Mexico.

For example, Nemophila menziesii has been observed only in western North America, but chiefly in California.

[2] Nemophila heterophylla occurs in a more restricted range within northern and central California (with some proximate state populations); N. heterophylla has the greatest number of sightings in Marin County at locations such as Ring Mountain.