Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum)
Compass plant, this tall, eye-catching plant attracts an abundance of native bees with the occasional butterfly stopping by. This quintessential prairie plant is the host to 6 species of butterflies and moths and 10 different specialist bees (Johnson and Colla, 2023). It is beneficial for the threatened Two-spotted Eucoma and Giant Eucosma (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). However, due to loss of habitat, its status is listed as endangered in Michigan, so while you may not be preserving the plant that was once here, you are creating habitat for all of the species that may need it for survival (mnfi.anr.msu.edu).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer (1), Biodiversity Heritage Library (2)
Compass plant, this tall, eye-catching plant attracts an abundance of native bees with the occasional butterfly stopping by. This quintessential prairie plant is the host to 6 species of butterflies and moths and 10 different specialist bees (Johnson and Colla, 2023). It is beneficial for the threatened Two-spotted Eucoma and Giant Eucosma (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). However, due to loss of habitat, its status is listed as endangered in Michigan, so while you may not be preserving the plant that was once here, you are creating habitat for all of the species that may need it for survival (mnfi.anr.msu.edu).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer (1), Biodiversity Heritage Library (2)
Compass plant, this tall, eye-catching plant attracts an abundance of native bees with the occasional butterfly stopping by. This quintessential prairie plant is the host to 6 species of butterflies and moths and 10 different specialist bees (Johnson and Colla, 2023). It is beneficial for the threatened Two-spotted Eucoma and Giant Eucosma (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). However, due to loss of habitat, its status is listed as endangered in Michigan, so while you may not be preserving the plant that was once here, you are creating habitat for all of the species that may need it for survival (mnfi.anr.msu.edu).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer (1), Biodiversity Heritage Library (2)
Life Cycle: Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full-Partial
Soil Moisture: Medium/wet-Dry
Height: 6-10 feet
Plant Spacing: 3-4 feet
Bloom Time: June-September
Bloom Color: Yellow
Advantages: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Deer Resistant Great Landscaping Plant
Host Plant: 6 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (Johnson and Colla, 2023)
Specialist Bee: Andrena aliciae, Pseudopanurgus labrosiformis, P. rugosus, Dieunomia heteropoda, Melissodes coloradensis, M. illatus, M. vernoniae, M. wheeleri, Paranthidium jugatorium, Megachile inimica (Johnson and Colla, 2023)
Species of concern: State Status: Endangered (legally protected), State Rank: Ranging from critically imperiled to imperiled (mnfi.anr.msu.edu)
Beneficial for Endangered or Threatened Species: Two-spotted Eucosma (Eucosma bipunctella) (mnfi.anr.msu.edu), Possibly Giant Eucosma moth (Eucosma giganteana) (mnfi.anr.msu.edu)
Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023
