Coneflower for Bees
Tracy Teuscher
Purple coneflower is a great perennial native wildflower for bees from the daisy family, also known as Echinacea purpurea.
Per Backyard Ecology, coneflower attracts a wide range of pollinators including honey bees and native bees. These lovelies grow to be around 3 feet tall, and bloom June through July, and sometimes longer.
The petals attract the pollinators to the center, where they find nectar and pollen they need.
Many species of butterflies including monarchs, tiger swallowtails, skippers and red admirals also like them, and, this is a great plant for the caterpillars of the silvery checkerspot butterfly which feed on the plant’s foliage, as well as finches and other songbirds which may forage on its seeds in the fall.
Echinacea comes from the Greek word echinos meaning spiny or prickly, which describes the center. It is great for prairie restoration, and is known to have many medicinal benefits.
According to the National Library of Medicine, it offers immune system stimulation and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, and larvicidal benefits.