Cowpen daisy with Common Checkered Skipper – Verbesina encelioides
This annual attracts multiple species of butterflies. A stand in a corner of your yard or a field will create an entire summer of butterfly-watching. It reaches heights of 4 feet & is a prolific seeder. Native Americans reportedly used Cowpen daisy in treating skin diseases.
White rosinweed – Silphium albiflorum
This beautiful, tough plant gets its name due to the resin that cover the stems & leaves during blooming. It can be found in calcareous soils & prairies throughout our region.
Narrowleaf gayfeather – Liatris mucronata
Gayfeather is a late-summer blooming perennial that keeps brilliant color in the landscape & your garden into the fall. Landscaping varieties are sold in many nurseries. It grows well on poor limestone & caliche soils.
Maximilian sunflower – Helianthus maximiliani
Upright, tall perennial that can reach 10 feet in height. This is a naturally dominant plant of the prairies, but has been reduced through grazing. This tall sunflower would make a nice backdrop in landscaping, while at the same time providing a food source for our native birds!
Western yarrow – Achillea millefolium
Yarrow is a popular landscaping plant sold in nurseries. Our native yarrow has white blooms. This perennial enjoys full sun or partial shade & can grow up to 3 feet high. Its lacy, fernlike leaves add a deep green color to any garden. Yarrow has been used for medicinal purposes because of its pungent oil. It also looks good in dried flower arrangements.