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Hoary Puccoon Lithospermum canesscens The presence of this native prairie plant is many times an indication of virgin prairie conditions. Yellow-orange tubular ½" flowers sit atop 8-15 inch hairy stems with alternate leaves that are oval to lance-leaved. It blooms May to June in mesic to dry prairie areas. This plant has a long taproot and seeds that look like little pieces of bone or ivory. |
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Indian Paintbrush Castilleja coccinea This attractive native wildflower has orange-yellow to bright red bracts and can bloom April through September under ideal conditions. Growing 1'-2' it does best in full to partial sun in dry to moist, well drained soils. Indian paintbrush is a native annual or biennial that is a parasitic plant that many times requires a host plant. (Example host plants could be Big Bluestem or Little Bluestem.) |
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Mexican Red Hat Ratibida columnifera This native perennial has 1"-3" reddish cylindrical flowerheads with red and yellow rays. Easily grown and blooms June thru August in full sun on well-drained soils. Once established it requires little water because of it's taproot. Hardiness zones of this hardy flower are 5 to 9. Companion plants could be Lance-leaved Coreopsis, Rattlesnake Master, Purple Coneflower or Butterfly Milkweed. |
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Milkweed, Butterfly Asclepias Tuberosa This hardy native perennial is a striking addition to any planting. Clusters of small red-orange to orange to yellow flowers sit on top of hairy stems that grow to 3'. It differs from other milkweeds because of the scattered, hairy leaves upon the stems and the lack of white milky sap. (it's juices are clear.) Butterfly Milkweed enjoys well-drained soils in sunny locations and is drought tolerant once established. The tap root is a tuberous rhisome from which small fiberous roots grow making it difficult to transplant established plants. |
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Milkweed, Swamp Asclepias incarnata This native perennial has red, pink and white flowers that form clusters at the top of the plant. It is native to the Great Plains and east, blooms July thru August and reaches a height of 3-4 feet. Swamp Milkweed prefers full sun to light shade with wet or lowland area soils but will adapt to drier conditions. |
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