For Your Garden - July 2017

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.
 

prairie coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata)
Photo © Illinois Department of Natural Resources
 
Prairie coreopsis grows statewide in Illinois, although it is more common the northern three-fourths of the state. It thrives in prairies, open woods and savannas. It may reach a maximum height of about two and one-half feet. Leaves are stiff and have three lobes. The yellow flower heads (disk and ray flowers) are produced from June through August. There are approximately eight rays per flower. Many pollinators are attracted to the nectar and pollen in the flower heads.
 
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
 
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.
 
 

 Taxonomy
​Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae

 Illinois Status
common, native