Photos and captions provided by Karen Cherry.
A perennial plant up to 42″ tall with individual flowers about 2″-4″ across that terminate the upper stems. The daisy-like flower heads with purple/pink petals surround a large orange prickly cone, blooms 3-4 weeks in mid summer.
Cross-pollinated by long-tongued bees, bee flies, Halictid bees, the flowers are also frequently visited by butterflies. Honeybees, bumblebees, digger bees (Melissodes spp.), and leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.) are some of the long-tonged bees that visit. Butterfly visitors include Monarchs, Fritillaries, Painted Ladies, Swallowtails, Sulfurs, and Whites. The caterpillars of the butterfly Chlosyne nycteis (Silvery Checkerspot) feed on the foliage, while the caterpillars of several moths feed on the flowerheads.
The Eastern Gold Finch occasionally eats the seeds during early fall. Purple Coneflower is commonly seen in many landscapes & is attractive to people as well as pollinators.
