For Your Garden - April 2015

Native plants provide beauty as well as food and shelter for wildlife. Native species are adapted to the Illinois climate. They require little or no watering and are resistant to drought, insects and most diseases. Because they are perennials, you can welcome their presence year after year.

dwarf larkspur (Delphinium tricorne) [white form, purple form]
Photo © Illinois Department of Natural Resources

The dwarf larkspur is a member of the buttercup family of plants. It grows in rich woodlands in all of Illinois except the northern one-fifth of the state. The plant grows from 12 to 30 inches tall. Its leaves have five to seven large divisions. Flowers are produced on a stalk. Each flower has a "spur" formed from a sepal. Flowers may be purple or white with blooming occurring in April and May.

Classification and taxonomy are based on Mohlenbrock, Robert H. 2014. Vascular flora of Illinois: A field guide. Fourth edition. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 536 pp.

Illinois Range

Native Plant Information

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For more information about native Illinois plants, including where to purchase them and planting guides, view the following publications at our publications page. You can access more information on the Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant page, too.