Scaly Blazingstar (Liatris squarrosa)
Scaly Blazingstar is visited by many native bees, especially bumblebees, butterflies, and skippers (illinoiswildflower.info). It is also the host plant to 6 species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org). This Blazingstar likes it dry and sunny. Although I cannot find specific information about this species of Liatris, many Liatris spp. are a host plant to the specialist bees Melissodes coloradensis and Melissodes vernoniae (Johnson and Colla, 2023).
Photo credit: Sonnia Hill
Scaly Blazingstar is visited by many native bees, especially bumblebees, butterflies, and skippers (illinoiswildflower.info). It is also the host plant to 6 species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org). This Blazingstar likes it dry and sunny. Although I cannot find specific information about this species of Liatris, many Liatris spp. are a host plant to the specialist bees Melissodes coloradensis and Melissodes vernoniae (Johnson and Colla, 2023).
Photo credit: Sonnia Hill
Scaly Blazingstar is visited by many native bees, especially bumblebees, butterflies, and skippers (illinoiswildflower.info). It is also the host plant to 6 species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org). This Blazingstar likes it dry and sunny. Although I cannot find specific information about this species of Liatris, many Liatris spp. are a host plant to the specialist bees Melissodes coloradensis and Melissodes vernoniae (Johnson and Colla, 2023).
Photo credit: Sonnia Hill
Life Cycle: Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Moisture: Medium-dry, Dry
Height: 2 feet
Plant Spacing: 1-1.5 feet
Bloom Time: July-September
Bloom Color: Purple
Advantages: Pollinator Favorite, Great Landscape Plant
Host: 6 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (nwf.org)
Specialist Bee: Melissodes coloradensis and Melissodes vernoniae (Johnson and Colla, 2023)
Species of Concern: State Status: Presumed extirpated (legally 'threatened' if rediscovered) State Rank: Presumed extirpated (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
