Prairies - Tumblr Posts
Missouri Coneflower
Rudbeckia missouriensis
This species is endemic to the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas, where it usually grows in limestone and dolomite glades. There's also a few scattered populations in Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Louisiana. It thrives in full sun and dry, well-drained soil.
Sept. 27th, 2023
De Soto, Jefferson County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline
Mexican Hat
Ratibida columnifera
I found this lonely blooming Mexican hat plant gleaming like a beacon light amongst a sea of non-native, invasive teasel growing in a dry, disturbed, almost waste-like land near Interstate 55 in Missouri.
This sombrero-resembling prairie coneflower is native to North America, where its historic native range primarily spanned the Great Plains and surrounding areas to the west, to Missouri on the very eastern edge of its adventive range. However, there are now naturalized populations east of Missouri. It's commonly grown in gardens and can escape from them. This species prefers dry, sunny habitats such as prairies, savannas and some disturbed areas with well-drained, neutral to alkaline soils. Its flowers provide food for an array of insect species, including bees, beetles, moths, wasps, and many more.
June 20th, 2023
Arnold, Jefferson County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline
Bird's Foot Violet
Viola pedata
Named after its leaves which resemble a bird's foot... This gorgeous violet is native to a large portion of eastern North America and thrives in sandy areas, rocky slopes, and other sunny, very well-drained habitats that are undisturbed. Three different color varieties can be found in the wild; bicolor (pictured above), lilac, and white. I have found both the bicolor and solid lilac varieties in abundance within glades and some prairies here in Missouri. Additionally, this species hosts fritillary butterfly larvae and provides nectar to many other butterflies and bees.
April 18th, 2024
St. Francois County, Missouri, USA
Olivia R. Myers
@oliviarosaline