Scaly Blazingstar (Liatris squarrosa)

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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

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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)

Complementary Plants: Boneset, Blue vervain, Butterfly weed, Green-headed coneflower, Culver’s root, Rattlesnake master, Mountain mint, Coneflowers, Monarda, Milkweeds

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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