Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Perennial flower
Purple bottlebrush spikes that bloom from the top down — unusual for a spike-flower — creating a moving line of color that a butterfly can land on and work its way down. Cottage-garden regal at 4 feet tall.
The spec sheet.
- Habitat
- Moist meadows, wet prairies, low fields
- Bloom time
- July – August
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average to moist; well-drained
- Moisture
- Medium
- Height
- 2–4 feet
What it attracts.
The species that visit, feed on, or depend on this plant — and how they use it.
Monarch butterfly
Nectar source
One of the top July nectar plants
Swallowtails, skippers, fritillaries
Nectar source
Bumblebees & other native bees
Nectar source
Goldfinches
Fruit / seed source
Fall seed heads feed finches
The corms (bulb-like base) hate wet winter soil — plant in a spot that drains. Cut spent stalks back only after finches have picked over the seeds. Deer-resistant.
Xerces Society · Jersey-Friendly Yards · Native Plant Society of NJ
Other natives in bloom now.
- AtNative · NJ
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
The orange one. A dry-meadow milkweed with clusters of small vivid blooms that hold a huge diversity of pollinators through the hot months.…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jun–Aug
- EpNative · NJ
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
The classic pink-purple prairie daisy with a raised copper-brown center. Blooms for months in the height of summer and holds up in a vase or…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jun–Sep
- AiNative · NJ
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
The pink milkweed. A tidy, upright plant that stays where you plant it — no aggressive runners like Common Milkweed — with clusters of small…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jun–Aug