Plant of The Month

Blanketflower a/k/a Indian Blanket or Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)

This is one of the most beautiful, resilient, low-maintenance, and pollinator-attracting prairie plants in our gardens. It is a composite flower, meaning that the flower’s center is actually comprised of many tiny flowers. Consequently, an insect can feed on the multiple nectar rewards from a single flower—kind of like shopping at a mall, rather than a freestanding store! The flower heads are also broad enough to support larger pollinators, like Monarch and Gulf Fritillary butterflies. Blanketflower is one of the most widely used nectar and pollen sources in our garden.

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