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Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta This popular native wildflower has chocolate-brown centers surrounded by yellow-orange petals and grows 2'-3' tall. Black-eyed Susan is a plant that likes sunny locations but tolerates light shade with ease. Sufficient moisture is required for establishment but the fibrous root systems of older plants can be extensive making dry conditions tolerable. Classified as a hardy annual, biennial and perennial, it will act as a perennial if it's happy or an annual if it's not. Flowering time is summer to fall. |
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Black-eyed Susan, Sweet Rudbeckia subtomentosa A wildflower similar to the Black-eyed Susan but taller in height. The leaves of this plant are alternate and have at least some fine hairs on them. Atop this plant are several branched stalks with flower heads usually 2 ½"- 3" in diameter. It blooms August thru October and grows to a height of 3'-6'. These plants prefer moist to medium soils in full sun to light shade. |
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Blanket Flower Gailardia aristata The red and yellow daisy-like flowers of this native perennial can be seen almost all summer long. The rough, hairy stems of this plant, that grows 2'- 4' tall, hold hairy dandelion-like leaves. Blanketflower enjoys sunny locations, likes well-drained soils and does very well in infertile soil. The deep taproot of this plant makes it quite drought resistant once it's established. |
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Blue Bead Lily Clintonia borealis This wildflower blooms yellowish drooping bell shaped flowers atop stalks that reach a height of 6"-12" and arise from the base of this shiny basal leafed plant. Its leaves reach a length of 5"-8". Found in moist woods and acidic soils, the blossoms are replaced with approximately ½ " diameter blue berries in early summer. The berries are somewhat poisonous. |
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Common Cinquefoil Potentilla simplex A plant that forms clusters of creamy yellow blooms with yellow centers that reaches a height of 1'-3'. The blooms are ¾"-1" in diameter and a similar to that of a Potentilla. It can be found in open, dry soils and blooms June thru August. |
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Compass Plant Silphium laciniatum Grows 3-12 feet tall, has yellow sunflowerlike flowers. The deeply cut, irregularly lobed leaves growing near the base of the plant, can grow to be 1-2 feet in length. Sunlight causes the leaf blades to point north and south so they avoid the heat of the mid-day sun, hence earning the name Compass Plant. The top half of the bristly stem normally holds 2-5 flowerheads and may bloom for as long as 2 months. This plant does require full sun but is adaptable to a wide variety of soil and moisture conditions. The Compass plant has a large taproot that may reach down as far as 15 feet. Prairie Indians chewed the juicy, thick stems which are very bitter at first but then can become tolerable. (Eating this root is not recommended by Prairie Frontier.) |
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