Large-Flowered Gaura
The flowers of this tall sprawling wildflower are surprisingly easy to overlook; they blend with the other prairie plants and disappear. This week I’ve found clumps of it blooming along … Continued
Spicebush Swallowtail
This large dark butterfly is drinking nectar from Prairie Blazingstar. Swallowtails are the largest butterflies in the world. We have several kinds of swallowtails at the Prairie Garden Trust (PGT).
Compass Plant
5-inch yellow blossoms have just started to appear along the stalks of this native prairie wildflower. The stalks will grow up to 9′ tall later in the season and the … Continued
Pipevine Swallowtail
Wild Bergamot has just started blooming, it’s a great native plant for attracting butterflies. Even though we have a lot of nectar producing wildflowers, I’m not seeing as many butterflies … Continued
Purple Coneflower
Purple coneflower is coming on strong now. I’m seeing a lot of it in bloom along the sidewalks at the Prairie Garden Trust (PGT). This native wildflower provides nectar and pollen … Continued
Queen Anne’s Lace
Many love this wildflower for its large white flowers; others hate it as an invasive exotic. I’ve got mixed feelings. I know it’s not native here, but we haven’t found … Continued
Great Spangled Fritillary
The coneflowers have started blooming and I’ve been seeing more butterflies. Here’s a Great Spangled Fritillary drinking nectar from a Pale Purple Coneflower. You can see coneflowers in the gardens … Continued
Pasture Rose
This native rose doesn’t get tall, rarely more than a foot, but it does have large fragrant flowers. Yesterday I found a bumblebee feeding on one. At the PGT you … Continued
Oxeye Daisy
At the PGT we prefer to feature plants that are natives i.e. plants that occur naturally in a given area. If exotics show up and are well behaved (i.e. not … Continued
Copper Iris
This week I’ve seen a few Copper Iris blooming at the edge of the ponds at the Prairie Garden Trust. This native Iris has a more flattened shape and lacks … Continued