Prairie Update: The gorgeous Orange Butterfly weed is still in bloom, but is just about to go to seed. Other bloomers are Prairie coneflowers (black cone with yellow droopy leaves), Black-eyed Susans (yellow), Monarda or Bee balm or Wild bergamot (lavender pincushion-like flowers), Tufted fleabane (smail white flowers with a yellow center), and Hoary vervain or verbana (purple spike-like flowers).

One of my favorites is a native-species flower that CLPA volunteers have planted over the years: Lead plant. It has small, delicate oval leaves and a spike-like mass of deep-purple flowers along the uper two to seven inches of the plant.

As always, please enjoy them, but leave them in peace for others to enjoy too!