Summer Wildflowers

After a very dry winter and early spring, the rains have returned and they have coaxed a great variety of wildflowers out of the prairie earth. Over the past weeks we have seen many species, here are some of them:

Purple coneflower – a showy plant about 1-2 feet tall with purple petals surrounding a deep red-violet center disk

Black-eyed Susan – a common perennial with bright yellow petals and dark center

Prairie coneflower – similar to the black-eyed Susan, this plant is taller (2-3 feet) sporting yellow petals around a large center that is dark brown and egg-shaped

Purple poppy-mallow – low-growing species with purplish petals

Butterfly milkweed – beautiful prairie perennial with bright orange flowers, aptly named as it attracts a wide variety of butterflies and other pollinators

Prairie wild rose – small shrub with pink flowers and covered in small spines

All these plants and many more await discovery on your next visit.