Skip to main content

For Your Garden - July 2017

Native plants provide beauty as well as food and shelter for wildlife. Native species are adapted to the Illinois climate. They require little or no watering and are resistant to drought, insects and most diseases. Because they are perennials, you can welcome their presence year after year.

prairie coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata)

Prairie coreopsis grows statewide in Illinois, although it is more common the northern three-fourths of the state. It thrives in prairies, open woods and savannas. It may reach a maximum height of about two and one-half feet. Leaves are stiff and have three lobes. The yellow flower heads (disk and ray flowers) are produced from June through August. There are approximately eight rays per flower. Many pollinators are attracted to the nectar and pollen in the flower heads.

Classification and taxonomy are based on Mohlenbrock, Robert H. 2014. Vascular flora of Illinois: A field guide. Fourth edition. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 536 pp.

Illinois Range

Native Plant Information

For more information about Illinois native plants, visit our Native Habitat Descriptions, Requirements, and Plant Lists page. The following publications are available from the IDNR on our publications page.

Taxonomy

​Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae

Illinois Status: common, native