Description

Key Information:

Soil: Mesic (Medium)
Sun: Full Sun – Part Sun
Height: 3-5 feet
Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Season: August – September

More Details:

Suggested Uses: Meadow Blazing Star grows best in rich, mesic soil and does well in typical garden conditions. It prefers some moisture – it is often found near wetlands. Meadow Blazing Star is arguably the BEST nectar plant for adult monarch butterflies! One stalk of flowers can have 35 or more butterflies on it at a time. Plant with Milkweeds (Asclepias species, such as Swamp Milkweed – Asclepias incarnata) to feed monarch caterpillars and support monarchs throughout their life cycle.

Native Range: Native to the northern Great Plains. Native throughout the state of Minnesota.

Pollinators: In addition to being a very high quality nectar source for adult monarch butterflies, Meadow Blazing Star is also attractive to bees, including the federally endangered Rusty Patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis). The flowers are attractive to hummingbirds and the seeds are an excellent source of food for birds.

Flowers: The flower heads are about 3/4″ wide, made up of a cluster of 30-100 disk flowers. The heads appear in rounded buttons that extend out from the stem on little branches. They bloom from top to bottom. Bracts are smooth and rounded on top.

Leaves: Basal and stem leaves are present with stem leaves smaller near the top of the plant. Plants typically only have a single stem arising from the basal rosette of each plant. Leaves are linear and often hairy. Stems are often deep red and hairy too.

Other Name: Monarch Magnet, Rocky Mountain Blazing Star, Northern Plains Blazing Star.

More information: USDA plant profile