slouching into autumn

echinacea. do you know it? i always assumed it was one of those flowers that was native to the old world, and naturalized here in the us. turns out, it is native to the american prairies of the eastern and midwestern united states and parts of ontario. who knew? it’s magenta flowers had an exotic feel to me. in other words, a non-native feel. knowing these bee and butterfly magnets are native makes me love them ever so much more.  come to think of it…knowing just how much the bees and butterflies love these flowers should really have tipped me off that they were indeed native. one more day for STILL, one more day to better understanding my bioregion.

wild echinacea (probably Echinacea purpurea)