Eragrostis spectabilis

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 1
Common Name: Purple love grass
Growth Habit: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48N, CAN
Description: Purple plains lovegrass grows low to the ground in dense tufts, 8-18 in. tall. In late summer the fine-textured, stiff inflorescence appears like reddish-purple clouds hovering at ground level. Eventually this inflorescence breaks off and floats around like a tumbleweed. This is a perennial.

Purple plains lovegrass is a member of the family Poaceae. Grasses are herbs with cylindrical, jointed flowering stems (culms), hollow between the joints, leaves often mostly basal and tiny flowers aggregated into highly modified clusters.

Dimensions

Height: 0.667 - 1.5 ft
Width: 0.83 - 1.33 ft

Wetland Status

Status: UPL

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Silt loam, Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 4 - 7.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Yes
Leaf Retention: NA
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: Brown, Copper, Red, Burgundy
Bloom Color: Red, Purple
Bloom Period: 8 - 10
Fruit Interest: Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: Plant in small groups or mass plan in a border, meadow, or native plant garden. It can be mowed a few times a year if it is being used as a lawn alternative that is exposed to light foot traffic. It will not handle heavy foot traffic. In the winter it will go dormant.

Wildlife Value

Supports the paradoxical grass moth as a larval host plant; this grass is exceptionally popular with insect herbivores such as leafhoppers. Birds use the dry panicles for nesting.

Monarda bradburiana

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 2
Common Name: Eastern bee balm, Wild bergamot, Horsemint
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N)
Description: Eastern beebalm is a herbaceous perennial inf the mint family (Lamiaceae) and is native to the southern and central US. Genus name honors Nicholas Monardes physician and botanist of Seville. Plant this in the native pollinator garden near the front of the border, in groups or in a naturalized area.

Dimensions

Height: 0.667 - 1.33 ft
Width: 2 - 36 ft

Wetland Status

Status: NA

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, Silt loam, Shallow rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage
pH Range: 6 - 7
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Gray, Silver, Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: Pink, White
Bloom Period: 6 - 9
Fruit Interest: Summer

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: Native American tribes who used the plants to cure ailments such as fever, headache, and cough. Rubbing crushed leaves on the body was also used to alleviate pain, and the common name bee balm likely came from its ability to sooth the pain associated with bee stings. Other historical uses include perfume, food seasoning, and even for protection from ghosts.
Landscape Value: Plant this in the native pollinator garden near the front of the border, in groups or in a naturalized area.

Wildlife Value

Hummingbirds

Allium cernuum

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 3
Common Name: Nodding onion, Lady’s leek, Allegheny onion, Wild onion
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48N, CAN
Description: Soft, grasslike leaves and a 1-2 ft., leafless flowering stalk rise from a bulb. The stem bends so that the pink flowers, borne in a cluster at the top, nod toward the ground. An umbel of many pink or white flowers at the tip of a long, erect, leafless stalk, bent like a shepherd’s crook; a basal cluster of several long, narrow leaves. All parts of the perennial have a mild, oniony scent. Eaten sparingly by Northwest Coast First Nations. They were steamed in pits lined with cedar boughs and covered with lichen and alder boughs. After they were eaten, or dried in strings or on mats or pressed into cakes. EDIBLE PARTS: Leaves, bulbs and bulblets.

Dimensions

Height: 0.667 - 2 ft
Width: 0.5 - 1 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACU

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: High organic matter
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 7 - 8.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: Pink, White, Purple
Bloom Period: 6 - 10
Fruit Interest: No

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: This plant was once used in culinary dishes but is mainly used for its flowers now.
Landscape Value: t can be used in a rock garden, cottage garden, mass planted or borders. It will also naturalize in a meadow or open woodland setting.

Wildlife Value

Bulbs are utilized by bears and ground squirrels. Elk and deer graze the early spring herbage. Attracts haistreak butterfly.

Aquilegia canadensis

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 4
Common Name: Eastern Red Columbine, Wild Red Columbine
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48N, CAN
Description: This is an erect, branching perennial, up to 3 ft. tall, well-known for its showy flowers. A nodding, red and yellow flower with upward spurred petals alternating with spreading, colored sepals and numerous yellow stamens hanging below the petals. The compound leaves, divided into round-lobed threes, are attractive in their own right. Use this plant in woodland habitats, naturalized areas, shady garden borders, native gardens, or pollinator gardens. Native American men reputedly rubbed crushed seeds on themselves to attract amorous attention.

Dimensions

Height: 1 - 3 ft
Width: 1 - 1.5 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FAC

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, Silt loam, Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occassionally dry
pH Range: 6 - 8
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Yes
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: NA
Bloom Color: Yellow, Pink, Red
Bloom Period: 2 - 8
Fruit Interest: Summer

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: Valued as a shade-loving perennial with attractive foliage and eye-catching blooms. Also does well as a saucerless pot plant.

Wildlife Value

Blooms attract hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and hawk moths. Seeds consumed by finches and buntings.

Carex cephalophora

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 5
Common Name: Oval leaf sedge
Growth Habit: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48N, CAN
Description: Carex cephalophora, called the oval-leaf sedge, oval-headed sedge, woodbank sedge, and short-headed bracted sedge, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Carex, native to the central and eastern United States and southeastern Canada, and introduced to Germany. It is found in late-succession old fields, even those that have become shaded woodlands.

Dimensions

Height: 0.667 - 2 ft
Width: 0.667 - 2 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACU

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Silt loam, Loam, Clay, Rocky material, Sand
Soil Drainage: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry
pH Range: 4.8 - 7
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 9a

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: NA
Leaf Retention: NA
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: NA
Bloom Color: Yellow, Green
Bloom Period: 5 - 7
Fruit Interest: NA

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: Great to use in forests, ridges or ledges, talus and rocky slopes, woodlands

Wildlife Value

Like most sedges, it provides food for caterpillars of several butterflies, skippers, and moths. Many species of leafhoppers will suck juices from the foilage of this species. Seeds of Carex cephalophoa, are also an important food source to many birds, specifically upland gamebirds and songbirds.

Symphyotrichum ericoides

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 6
Common Name: White Heath Aster, Heath Aster
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Description: Heath Aster is a member of the aster family (family Asteraceae), which includes herbs, sometimes shrubs or vines, rarely trees, with simple or compound, alternate or opposite leaves. Flowers small, but organized into larger heads resembling a single, radially symmetrical flower cupped by a ring of green bracts.

Dimensions

Height: 1.5 - 3 ft
Width: 1 - 1.5 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACU

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Silt loam, Sand, Shallow rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occassionally dry
pH Range: 8 - NA
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: White , Pink , Yellow , Blue
Bloom Period: 7 - 11
Fruit Interest: No

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: Used to revive an unconscious patient and in sweat lodges. Also used in the binding of structures.
Landscape Value: The profuse showy white daisy-like flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies nd provide much needed late season nectar as they bloom from late summer to mid fall. It is effective for erosion mitigation in sloped areas. Use it in the front of a border in a cut flower, rock, or wildflower garden, or let this plant naturalize but be sure to provide plenty of room.

Wildlife Value

Flowers are attractive to butterflies. Members of the genus Symphyotrichum support the following specialized bees: Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) asteris, Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) asteroides, Andrena (Cnemidandrena) hirticincta, Andrena (Cnemidandrena) nubecula, Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) placata, Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) simplex, and Colletes simulans.

Bouteloua curtipendula

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 7
Common Name: Sideoats Grama, Banderilla, Banderita, Navajita
Growth Habit: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48N, CAN
Description: Side-oats grama is a bunchy or sod-forming grass with 2-3 ft. stems in erect, wiry clumps. Purplish, oat-like spikelets uniformly line one side of the stem, bleaching to a tan color in the fall. The basal foliage often turns shades of purple and red in fall. This is a perennial warm season grass; clump forming. Two varieties are recognized: variety curtipendula is shorter and more rhizomatous and ranges from southern Canada to Argentina. Variety caespitosa spreads more by seed than by rhizomes, is more of a bunchgrass, and is restricted mostly to southwestern North America.

Not only is Sideoats Grama the state grass of Texas, but this medium-tall grass mixes well in plantings with spring wildflowers, because it stays short in the spring. Birds love the ripe seeds. This plant increases rapidly in nature when its site is damaged by drought or grazing.

Dimensions

Height: 1 - 3 ft
Width: 1 - 3 ft

Wetland Status

Status: UPL

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: limestone-based sands, loams, and clays
Soil Drainage: Well drained
pH Range: 5.5 - 8.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Fall
Leaf Retention: NA
Leaf Color: Green, Blue-green
Fall Leaf Color: Purple, Red, Brown
Bloom Color: Red, Orange, Yellow
Bloom Period: 6 - 11
Fruit Interest: No

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: An attractive grass good for wildflower meadows, prairie restorations, and garden accents.

Wildlife Value

Provides bird food, nesting material, and cover, as well as graze for mammals.

Schizachyrium scoparium

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 8
Common Name: Little Bluestem, Popotillo Azul
Growth Habit: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), HI (I), CAN (N)
Description: Little Bluestem is a very ornamental bunchgrass with fine-textured foliage that forms very dense mounds 18-24 inches tall. Slender blue-green stems often reach 5 feet, or more, by September, and become radiant mahogany-red with white, shining seed tufts in the fall. Color remains nearly all winter. Perennial clumps grow up to a foot in diameter.

This mid-prairie species gets its name from the bluish color of the stem bases in the spring, but most striking is the plant’s reddish-tan color in fall, persisting through winter snows. The seeds, fuzzy white at maturity, are of particular value to small birds in winter. A related species, Big Bluestem or Turkeyfoot (Andropogon gerardii), has finger-like seed heads that somewhat resemble a turkey’s foot. It reaches a height of 12 feet in favorable bottomland sites and is also one of the East’s most important native prairie grasses.

Dimensions

Height: 1 - 7 ft
Width: 1 - 3 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACU

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand, Shallow Rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 5 - 8.4
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Yes
Leaf Retention: NA
Leaf Color: Blue, Green, Orange
Fall Leaf Color: Gold, Yellow, Orange
Bloom Color: White, Green, Brown
Bloom Period: 6 - 12
Fruit Interest: Fall, Summer

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: Fall conspicuous, Grows in clumps, Accent

Wildlife Value

Graze, Cover, Nesting material, Seeds-Small mammals, Seeds-granivorous birds.

Asclepias tuberosa

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 9
Common Name: Butterflyweed, Butterfly Weed, Butterfly Milkweed, Orange Milkweed, Pleurisy Root, Chigger Flower, Chiggerweed
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48, CAN
Description: This bushy, 1 1/2-2 ft. perennial is prized for its large, flat-topped clusters of bright-orange flowers. The leaves are mostly alternate, 1 1/2-2 1/4 inches long, pointed, and smooth on the edge. The yellow-orange to bright orange flower clusters, 2-5 inches across, are at the top of the flowering stem. The abundance of stiff, lance-shaped foliage provides a dark-green backdrop for the showy flower heads.

This showy plant is frequently grown from seed in home gardens. Its brilliant flowers attract butterflies. Because its tough root was chewed by the Indians as a cure for pleurisy and other pulmonary ailments, Butterfly Weed was given its other common name, Pleurisy Root. Although it is sometimes called Orange Milkweed, this species has no milky sap

Dimensions

Height: 1 - 2 ft
Width: 1 - 1.5 ft

Wetland Status

Status: UPL

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand, Shallow Rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 4.8 - 6.8
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: Orange , Yellow
Bloom Period: 5 - 9
Fruit Interest: Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: Has been used medicinally in herbal medicine in small doses
Landscape Value: Butterfly weed makes a delightful cut flower. Strong color, Blooms ornamental, Showy, Long-living, Perennial garden.

Wildlife Value

The flowers are a nectar source for many butterflies and insect pollinators. The plant is a larval host plant for monarch (which appear in the spring and summer and may have one to three broods in the north and four to six broods in the south), gray hairstreak, queen, and milkweed tussock moth caterpillars. This butterfly breeds all year long in Florida, south Texas, and southeastern California. Adult Monarch butterflies feed on nectar from all species of milkweeds.

Asclepias syriaca

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 10
Common Name: Common milkweed
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48, CAN
Description: The Common Milkweed is the plant that most people associate with the word “milkweed”. This is a tall and conspicuous species that sometimes forms large clones. The umbels bear large balls of pink to purplish flowers that have an attractive odor. This species is known to form hybrids with both A. exaltata (in the east) and A. speciosa (in the west). Follicles split open in the fall and early winter dispensing wind borne seeds. Among the milkweeds, this species is the best at colonizing in disturbed sites. Within its range it can be found in a broad array of habitats from croplands, to pastures, roadsides, ditches and old fields. It is surprisingly rare in prairies in the Midwest being found mostly in disturbed sites within these habitats. As an indigenous species of the southern Great Plains, it has all the attributes of what some ecologists call a “fugitive species”. That is, one whose appearance and persistence is dependent on disturbance due to its inability to compete with other vegetation. In the northern parts of its range it seems to be a more permanent member of the floral communities.

The plant contains cardiac glycosides, allied to digitalins used in treating some heart disease. These glycosides, when absorbed by monarch butterfly larvae whose sole source of food is milkweed foliage, make the larvae and adult butterflies toxic to birds and other predators.

Dimensions

Height: 3 - 5 ft
Width: 0.67 - 1 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACU

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand, Shallow Rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 5.6 - 7.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: White, Purple
Bloom Period: 6 - 8
Fruit Interest: Fall, Summer

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: Native Americans used the milkweed plant for fiber sources. Life jackets were made from the coma of the seeds during WWII. Today, coma is used for pillows and blankets.
Landscape Value: Common milkweed can be used in naturalized areas, meadows, and butterfly, native, or pollinator gardens, but its wild and rangy form is not ideal for planting in borders.

Wildlife Value

Flowers provide a nectar source for butterflies, bees and other pollinators and the plant is the larval host plant of the monarch butterfly and milkweed tussock moth, which appear in the spring and summer and may have one to three broods in the north and four to six broods in the south. This butterfly breeds all year long in Florida, south Texas, and southeastern California. Adult Monarch butterflies feed on nectar from all species of milkweeds. . Also fed upon by the milkweed weevil and milkweed longhorn beetle.

Eryngium yuccifolium

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 11
Common Name: Rattlesnake Master, Button Eryngo, Button Snakeroot, Beargrass, Bear’s Grass
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48
Description: Scattered along the stiff, upright stem of this unusual perennial are tough, blue-green, yucca-like, parallel-veined leaves. Smooth, rigid stems bear thistle-like flower heads made up of small greenish-white florets mingled with pointed bracts. The individual, greenish-white flowers cluster into unique, globular heads. These occur on branch ends atop the 6 ft. plant.

Their spiny leaves make walking through clumps of these plants difficult, and also make them unpalatable to grazing livestock. They were once credited with a variety of curative powers. Their flower heads develop a bluish cast with maturity.

Dimensions

Height: 4 - 6 ft
Width: 3 - 6 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FAC

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand, Shallow Rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 6.6 - 7.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Blue, Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: White, Green
Bloom Period: 5 - 8
Fruit Interest: Summer, Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: The sap and roots were used in traditional medicine. Native Americans used the leaves to weave baskets and sandals.
Landscape Value: The stiff upright stems of this plant hold striking flower heads, and the unusual clumping foliage adds interest, providing coarse texture in the landscape. In addition to the flowers attracting many beneficial insects to the garden, the plant serves as a host to the larvae of the Rattlesnake-master borer snake (Papaipema eryngii) moth.

This plant works well in the middle of perennial borders or planted in small groups in open woodlands, naturalized areas, and pollinator gardens. Because the plant is tolerant of wet soils, it may be ideal for a water garden or pond planting. The flowers are attractive fresh or dried and make an interesting addition to a cutting garden. Leaving the plants uncut through the winter will add interest to any landscape. Choose a location carefully since the leaves end in stiff spines that could be unpleasant if planted near a walkway.

Wildlife Value

Attracts pollinator insects including wasps, flies, bees, and butterflies like monarchs and skippers. Soilder beetles eat the pollen. The rattle snake master stem-borer moth Papaipema eryngii) uses the plant as a larval host.

Oligoneuron album

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 12
Common Name: Stiff-leaved goldenrod
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48, CAN
Description: Stiff Goldenrod is a widely adaptable species, thriving in a range of soils from clay to dry sand. A glowing beauty in the autumn landscape, the flowers are favorite of Monarch butterflies as they fuel-up for their fall migration. Songbirds love to perch on the stems of Stiff Goldenrod, and take advantage of the abundant seed in the fall.

Goldenrods are keystone species in ecoregions across North America, and play an influential role in system biodiversity. Pollen, nesting sites, and a critical source of late season nectar are available in abundance for bees, butterflies and other insects. Goldenrod gall flies lay their eggs in the plant stem and the developing larvae are a rich source of protein for chickadees and woodpeckers in the middle of winter. Numerous small moths use this goldenrod as a larval host plant, including the Wavy-Lined Emerald, and Green Leuconycta moths.

Stiff Goldenrod self-seeds readily, which may not be desirable for smaller settings. Removal of the seed heads is a reliable way to control unwanted spread.

Dimensions

Height: 3 - 5 ft
Width: 1 - 2 ft

Wetland Status

Status: UPL

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 5 - 7.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: NA
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Period: 8 - 9
Fruit Interest: No

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: Flowers made into a lotion and used on bee stings and for swollen faces.
Landscape Value: This is a good choice for use as a Butterfly Nectar Plant, Grouping or Mass Planting in a Wildlife Garden, Meadow or Monarch Waystation. Solidago rigida has Showy Blooms and can be used in Cottage Gardens, Low Maintenance Plantings, Perennial Borders and Restoration Projects. Try pairing Solidago rigida with Andropogon gerardii, Aster novae-angliae, Liatris aspera, Rudbeckia subtomentosa or Schizachyrium scoparium.

Wildlife Value

Goldenrods are keystone species in ecoregions across North America, and play an influential role in system biodiversity. Pollen, nesting sites, and a critical source of late season nectar are available in abundance for bees, butterflies and other insects. Goldenrod gall flies lay their eggs in the plant stem and the developing larvae are a rich source of protein for chickadees and woodpeckers in the middle of winter. Numerous small moths use this goldenrod as a larval host plant, including the Wavy-Lined Emerald, and Green Leuconycta moths.

Rudbeckia fulgida

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 13
Common Name: Orange Coneflower, Orange Rudbeckia, Black-eyed Susan, Goldstrum
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (I)
Description: This is a perennial coneflower with yellow-orange, slightly curved petals, each toothed at its apex. The 1-4 ft. stems and scattered, oval leaves are covered with bristly hairs. Flower heads are 2-3 in. wide. Southeastern forms of this variable species have smaller flowers.

Rudbeckia fulgida is a variable species with numerous varieties.

Dimensions

Height: 2 - 3 ft
Width: 1 - 2 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FAC

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Shallow Rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 5.2 - 6.8
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: Orange , Yellow
Bloom Period: 7 - 10
Fruit Interest: Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: Used for kidney ailments, washes for bites and stings, earache, and venereal diseases.
Landscape Value: It is utilized for perennial beds, backgrounds, pollinator gardens, naturalized areas, and borders. Staking may be required for large heads. Plants of this species sold in garden centers are usually named cultivars rather than the wild-type species.

Wildlife Value

This plant provides nectar for pollinators. It is a larval host plant to Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata) and to Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) which has one brood in the north and two broods from May-September in the rest of its range. Songbirds, especially American goldfinches, eat the seeds in the fall.

Eupatorium perfoliatum

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 14
Common Name: Common boneset
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Description: Tiny, white flowers are arranged in fuzzy clusters top the 3-6 ft. stems of this perennial. Hairy plant with dense flat-topped clusters of many dull-white flowers. Paired leaves, united basally, are “perforated” by the erect stems.

As suggested by the Latin species name, the stem appears to be growing through the leaf. To early herb doctors, this indicated the plant would be useful in setting bones, so its leaves were wrapped with bandages around splints. Upland Boneset (E. sessilifolium) is somewhat similar, but its leaves are not fused at the base.

Dimensions

Height: 4 - 6 ft
Width: 3 - 4 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACW

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, High organic matter, Loam (Silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasional flooding, Occasionally wet
pH Range: 6.5 - 7
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Period: 6 - 10
Fruit Interest: Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: Historically used in herbal medicine for the treatment of cases of flu, fevers, colds, and a variety of other maladies.
Landscape Value: The pure white flowers of Boneset stand-out in the late summer landscape and look great combined with the pink wands of Dense Blazingstar.

Wildlife Value

Attracts butterflies and bees. Various moths use this plant as a host. Some birds will eat the seeds

Filipendula rubra

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 15
Common Name: Queen Of The Prairie, Queen-of-the-prairie
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48
Description: A robust perennial, usually growing 3-6 ft. high. Attractive, deeply cut leaves with 7-9 lobes can be 3 ft. long. Large, feathery clusters of small, fragrant, usually pink flowers. The large sprays of small pink, fragrant blossoms are its claim to fame. Numerous stamens give the spirea-like flowers a fuzzy appearance.

A showy species, this coarse-leaved perennial flourishes in wildflower gardens. Meadow Queen (F. ulmaria), a shorter European introduction with white or greenish-white flowers, is also found in the East.

Dimensions

Height: 2 - 8 ft
Width: 1.5 - 2 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACW

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage: Moist
pH Range: 5 - 6.8
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4a - 7b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: Pink, Purple
Bloom Period: 6 - 8
Fruit Interest: No

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: To the Meskwaki, this plant was a source of important medicine for heart ailments, as well as a love potion.
Landscape Value: Lovely in cottage gardens, in meadows, and near streams or ponds in the summer. They can also create dimension if planted in the back portions of beds and borders.

Wildlife Value

Attracts butterflies

Liatris spicata

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 16
Common Name: Dense Blazing Star, Dense Gayfeather, Dense Liatris, Marsh Blazing Star, Marsh Gayfeather, Marsh Liatris
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Description: Dense gayfeather or marsh blazing star is an erect, slender perennial reaching a height of 2-6 ft. The linear, grass-like leaves are clumped toward the base of the plant, but extend up the stem to the showy flower cluster. A tall spike of rayless, rose-purple (sometimes white), closely set flower heads. The purple, tufted flower heads are arranged in a long, dense spike blooming from the top down.

The species name describes the elongated inflorescence, with its crowded, stalkless flower heads. The protruding styles give the flower an overall feathery appearance, hence its alternate name, Dense Gayfeather.

Dimensions

Height: 3 - 6 ft
Width: 0.25 - 1.5 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FAC

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, High organic matter, Loam (Silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry, Occasionally wet
pH Range: 5.6 - 7.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Period: 7 - 11
Fruit Interest: Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: Roots used medicinally by Native Americans
Landscape Value: It is very attractive in mass plantings in a pollinator garden, rain garden, perennial border, native plant garden, or a cottage garden.

Wildlife Value

Its flowers are attractive to butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Larval forms of Schinia sanguinea (Liatris Flower Moth) feed on the flowers and seeds, and the larval form of Carmenta anthracipennis (Liatris Borer Moth) eat the stems. Goldfinches eat the seeds with relish.

Echinacea purpurea

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 17
Common Name: Eastern Purple Coneflower, Purple Coneflower
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48
Description: A popular perennial with smooth, 2-4 ft. stems and long-lasting, lavender flowers. Rough, scattered leaves that become small toward the top of the stem. Flowers occur singly atop the stems and have domed, purplish-brown, spiny centers and drooping, lavender rays. An attractive perennial with purple (rarely white), drooping rays surrounding a spiny, brownish central disc.

The genus name is from the Greek echinos, meaning “hedgehog,” an allusion to the spiny, brownish central disc. The flowers of Echinacea species are used to make an extremely popular herbal tea, purported to help strengthen the immune system; an extract is also available in tablet or liquid form in pharmacies and health food stores. Often cultivated, Purple Coneflower is a showy, easily grown garden plant.

Dimensions

Height: 3 - 4 ft
Width: 1 - 2 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACU

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, High organic matter, Loam (Silt), Sand, Shallow Rocky
Soil Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist, Occasionally Dry
pH Range: 6.5 - 7.2
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: Pink , Purple
Bloom Period: 4 - 9
Fruit Interest: Fall, Summer

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: This was an important plant to the Native Americans to treat may ailments. Early settlers used the medicinal root for almost any kind of sickness. It became the only native prairie plant commonly used by both doctors and folk practitioners as medicine. People also used echinacea to support cows and horses when they weren’t eating well.
Landscape Value: This is a popular and long-blooming plant for use as a border or in groupings in a native or pollinator garden, meadow, or naturalized area. Many cultivars are available in varied sizes and colors.

Wildlife Value

Its flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and other pollinators. This plant supports Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) larvae which has two broods from May-September. The adults feed on nectar from red clover, common milkweed, and dogbane. This plant also supports Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata) larvae. Songbirds, especially American goldfinches, eat the seeds. Slightly deer resistant.

Penstemon digitalis

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 18
Common Name: Mississippi Penstemon, Mississippi Beardtongue, Smooth White Penstemon, Smooth White Beardtongue, Talus Slope Penstemon, Talus Slope Beardtongue, Foxglove Penstemon, Foxglove Beardtongue
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (I)
Description: The foliage of this robust perennial can be semi-evergreen in the South. Its erect, 2-5 ft. stems are topped with stalked clusters of white, tubular, unevenly five-lobed flowers which rise in pairs from the upper leaf axils.

Some authorities say this species was originally indigenous only to areas in the Mississippi Basin.

Dimensions

Height: 2 - 4 ft
Width: 1.5 - 2 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FAC

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 5.5 - 7
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: No
Leaf Retention: Semi-evergreen
Leaf Color: Green, Purple, Lavender
Fall Leaf Color: NA
Bloom Color: White, Purple
Bloom Period: 4 - 7
Fruit Interest: Summer

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: A great bloomer for clay loam in areas with poor drainage.

Wildlife Value

This plant attracts birds, hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Members of the genus Penstemon support the following specialized bee: Osmia (Melanosmia) distincta.

Coreopsis verticillata

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 19
Common Name: Threadleaf Coreopsis, Whorled Tickseed, Whorled Coreopsis
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (I)
Description: Threadleaf coreopsis is a popular, 1-3 ft. perennial with delicate, dark-green leaves divided into thread-like segments. The long-blooming flower heads have yellow centers and untoothed petals.

This plant spreads by rhizomes.

Dimensions

Height: 2.5 - 3 ft
Width: 1.5 - 2 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FACU

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Texture: Clay, Sand, Shallow rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 5.5 - 6.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Yes
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Period: 6 - 8
Fruit Interest: Summer

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: This plant provides an airy appearance to the sunny border, naturalized area, native garden, or mass plantings. Its long bloom season provides a profusion of daisy-like yellow flowers. It is an easy-care plant that will give you years of enjoyment.

Wildlife Value

Its nectar are attractive to butterflies and other pollinators. Its seeds are eaten by songbirds.

Verbena stricta

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 20
Common Name: Hoary Verbena, Hoary Vervain, Tall Vervain, Woolly Verbena
Growth Habit: Forb
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Description: The 1-6 ft., hairy stem produces a terminal cluster of narrow, flowering spikes. Small lavender to blue flowers appear in a ring halfway down the ascending spike. A common invader of overgrazed pastures, this plant does not compete well in vigorous stands of native grasses. Seeds are consumed by small mammals and prairie-chickens.

This species is a member of the verbena family (family Verbenaceae), which includes about 75 genera and 3,000 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees, mostly of tropical and warm temperate regions. Among them, teak is a highly prized furniture wood, and Vervain, Lantana, Lippia or Frog Fruit, and Chase Tree or Vitex are grown as ornamentals.

Dimensions

Height: 2 - 4 ft
Width: 1.5 - 2 ft

Wetland Status

Status: UPL

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Sand, Shallow rocky
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Occasionally dry
pH Range: 5.6 - 7.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4a - 8b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Yes
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Color: Gray, Silver, Green
Fall Leaf Color: No
Bloom Color: Blue, Purple, Lavender
Bloom Period: 6 - 9
Fruit Interest: Fall

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: Leaves were used as a gastrointestiinal aid and to make tea.
Landscape Value: Plant in full sun in well-drained soils and don’t overwater. Use in a dry sunny location, in a rock garden or naturalized settings as prairies or meadows.

Wildlife Value

Host plant for common buckeye butterfly and others. Various pollinators are attracted to the plant. Birds and small mammals will eat the seeds.

Andropogon gerardii

General Description

Plant Walk Number: 21
Common Name: Big Bluestem, Tall Bluestem, Turkeyfoot
Growth Habit: Graminoid
Duration: Perennial
Native Status: L48, CAN
Description: Big Bluestem is a warm season, perennial bunchgrass with blue-green stems 4-8 ft. tall. The seedhead is usually branched into three parts and resembles a turkey’s foot. Fall color is maroonish-tan.

Big Bluestem is the star component of the “Big Four” native grass species that characterize the tallgrass prairies of central North America (the other three are Indiangrass [Sorghastrum nutans], Switchgrass [Panicum virgatum], and Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium). It tends to be taller than the other species and was at one time very abundant. It can still get quite aggressive when it’s established in a favorable, undisturbed location, but overgrazing and land destruction have reduced it to mere patches of its former range. Part of the problem is that cattle love it so much - some ranchers refer to it as “ice cream for cows” - and it cannot take concentrated grazing; the seasonal grazing of migratory bison is what it’s evolved to cope with.

Dimensions

Height: 4 - 8 ft
Width: 2 - 3 ft

Wetland Status

Status: FAC

Cultural Conditions

Light: Full sun
Soil Texture: Clay, Sand
Soil Drainage: Good drainage, Moist, Occasionally dry, Occasionally wet
pH Range: 6 - 7.5
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4a - 9b

Aesthetic Attributes

Foliage Interest: Yes
Leaf Retention: NA
Leaf Color: Blue, Green
Fall Leaf Color: Gold, Yellow, Orange, Red, Burgundy
Bloom Color: Red, Blue, Brown
Bloom Period: 8 - 11
Fruit Interest: No

Ethnobotany and Landscape Value

Ethnobotany: NA
Landscape Value: An essential grass for grassland restoration and prairie gardens in the central plains. Large stature, blue-green foliage, and interesting flowering heads.

Wildlife Value

Members of the genus Andropogon supports Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala) larvae which have one brood from late May to October. Adult Common Wood-Nymph butterflies feed on rotting fruit and flower nectar. This plant also supports various Skipper larvae. This plant is a larval host for butterflies. Provides cover for at least 24 species of songbirds and nesting sites or seeds for Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslow’s Sparrow, and other sparrows, as well as nesting sites for Sedge Wrens and Western Meadowlarks.