Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera)

$5.00

Rough Blazing Star is a long bloomer that attracts many native bees, butterflies, and skippers. Rough Blazing Star is recommended as a monarch nectar source (Xerces.org) and as a preferred pollinator plant by the Xerces Society (Xerces.org). It is also a host plant to 6 species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org) and a host plant to the specialist bees Melissodes coloradensis and Melissodes vernoniae (Johnson and Colla, 2023). They are often browsed by deer though, so take note. Mine have mostly bounced back after it has been nibbled.

Rough Blazing Star is a long bloomer that attracts many native bees, butterflies, and skippers. Rough Blazing Star is recommended as a monarch nectar source (Xerces.org) and as a preferred pollinator plant by the Xerces Society (Xerces.org). It is also a host plant to 6 species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org) and a host plant to the specialist bees Melissodes coloradensis and Melissodes vernoniae (Johnson and Colla, 2023). They are often browsed by deer though, so take note. Mine have mostly bounced back after it has been nibbled.

Life Cycle: Perennial

Sun Exposure: Full, Partial (best in full sun)

Soil Moisture: Medium, Medium-Dry

Height: 3 feet

Plant Spacing: 1-1.5 feet

Bloom Time: July-October

Bloom Color: Purple

Advantages: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Great Landscape Plant

Host Plant: 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)

Complementary Plants: Joe-Pye Weed, Boneset, Blue Vervain, Butterfly Weed, Gray-headed Coneflower.

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

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