American Painted Lady on Liatris

This is a photo of an American Painted Lady butterfly feeding on a Liatris spicata flower. The plant is also called blazing star. You can plant the bulbs of Liatris in the spring or fall. Obviously, this is one plant that will attract a variety of butterflies to your garden. I also have seen a beautiful male Goldfinch and a female feeding on the seeds recently. A stunning show-- this bright yellow and black bird on the purple flowers!

Blazing Star is a native to the U.S. (I checked several sources and it is found in much of the eastern U.S.- click here for one good site). I strongly encourage you to only plant species native to the U.S., preferably those that occur in your local area. More about this later.