Ashy Sunflower
Helianthus mollis
5 feet
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium
- Not Native
- Blueish-green appearance
- Can be aggressive
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
1-2 feet
Full Sun
Moisture: Dry to Moist
- Native
- Common on roadsides and in open woodlands
- Abundant in disturbed places
- Host plant for Silvery Checkerspot butterfly
- Attracts all kinds of pollinators
Compass Plant
laciniatum
5-9 feet
Full Sun
Moisture: Medium
- Native
- Icon of the prairie
- Easily grown
- Attracts goldfinches
- Tolerates poor soils
- Common in disturbed areas
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
4-8 feet
Full Sun
Moisture: Medium to Wet
- Native
- Attracts birds and butterflies
- Easily grown
- Sunflower-like
False Sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides
5 feet
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Wet-Dry
- Native
- Member of the Aster family
- Easily grown
Forsythia
Forsythia x intermedia
6-9 feet
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium
- Not Native
- Easily grown
- Deciduous hybrid shrub
Golden Alexander
Zizia aurea
1.5-3 feet
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium
- Native
- Occurs in moist woods and meadows and prairies
- Attracts butterflies
Longheaded Coneflower
Ratibida columnifera
3 feet
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium- Dry
- Very attractive mid-summer
- Easy to grow
- Seed head resembles a fox tail
Maryland Senna
Cassia marilandica
4 feet
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium
- Native
- Important plant for Sulphur butterflies
Partridge Pea
Chamaecrista fasciculata
2 feet
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium to dry
- Native
- Favorite of bees and other pollinators
- Leaves retreat when touched
- Nitrogen fixer
Prairie Coreopsis
Coreopsis palmata
2 feet
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium-Dry
- Native
- Deadheading flowers prolongs blooms
- Attracts many native pollinators
Prairie Ragwort
Packera plattensis
2 feet
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium
- Native
- Common
- Not aggressive
- Foliage toxic to mammals
- Attracts bees and flies
Rough Goldenrod
Solidago rugosa
3-5 feet
Full Sun
Moisture: Medium wet to wet
- Native
- Attracts butterflies
- Easily grown
Sawtooth Sunflower
Helianthus grosseserratus
8 feet
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium-wet to Medium-Dry
- Native
- Grows in dense colonies
- Reddish-purple stem
- Favorite of bees
- Host plant for many butterflies
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
8 inches
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium to Dry
Sneezeweed
Helenium autumnale
4 feet
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium-wet
- Native
- Daisy-like flowers
- Host plant for Dainty Sulphur butterfly
Stiff Goldenrod
Oligoneuron rigidum
4 feet
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium-wet to Dry
- Native
- Great late bloomer for pollinators to use
Toothed Primrose
Calylophus serrulatus
1 foot
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Dry
- Native
- Very showy flower
- Drought tolerant
Yellow Coneflower
Ratibida pinnata
5 feet
Full/Partial Sun
Moisture: Medium to Medium-Dry
- Native
- Attracts butterflies and bees
- Drought tolerant
