When it comes to ranking wild plants as attractants for a variety of butterflies, and other pollinating insects, this short-lived perennial plant deserves to be in the Grand Prix road race!  In fact, in the Great Plains and prairie states this wildflower is often found hugging the edge of country roads. This wildflower is welcomed as a reliable accent of blue or purple flowers for some mid-summer occasions and in settings that are more likely to have only green leaves or yellow blossoms of other plants.

It blooms from June into September, and it flourishes in relatively hot dry sites as well as microclimates that are more inviting. It is particularly inviting to pollinating insects, including long-tongued bees, Green Metallic bees, butterflies, and skippers. Among the long-tongued bees, are such visitors as honeybees, bumblebees, Little Carpenter bees, Cuckoo bees, Miner bees, and large Leaf-cutting bees. A specialist visitor of the flowers is Calliopsis verbenae (Verbena Bee).

Hoary Vervain, or Woolly Verbena another common name, often grows in over-beaten pastures and

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disturbed sites, and it often gets crowded out by native grasses and other plants as the areas recover from disturbance.  Since it is often in company with other “tough” colonizing plants it is often unfairly categorized as a “weed.”  One might more correctly say it is a “highly desirable weed,” certainly for invertebrates and wildlife.  These plants provide cover and plant growth for erosion control where more palatable forage plants failed to thrive.  On excellently maintained native prairie rangelands and less disturbed sites, Hoary Vervain is usually found scattered in small numbers.

As James Stubbendiek, Professor of Range Ecology at the University of Nebraska, and his fellow authors pointed out in “Weeds of the Great Plains” the seeds of this plant are utilized by Prairie-chickens—and we would add a number of other birds including Meadowlarks, Field Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos.  The book goes on to indicate that, historically, Lakota Native Americans roasted the nutlets (seeds) and ground them into a meal.  The Omaha made a tea from the leaves for a beverage.

To the credit of KDOT’s staff, Hoary Vervain has recently been included in native wildflower seed mixtures used for reseeding disturbed reconstruction sites—and it was included in the wildflower demonstration area at the intersection of Highway 177 and Interstate 70 featured during the week of June 28. However, it isn’t easy to spot in those photographs because of the overwhelming display of Lemon Mint and Black-eyed Susans.

All photos taken by Ron Klataske


To nominate a native wildflower, or to send photos of a native roadside wildflower, click here