Today I was traveling in South Madison and noticed a small native planting at the edge of the Village Mall parking lot. Closer inspection revealed these prairie blazing stars, also known as thick-spike gay-feather and
Liatris pyncostachya. With dozens of purple flowers growing in from the top down on a long spike, blazing stars are one of the most recognizable late summer flowers on our prairie. But in this instance, they have been planted alongside sedges in a low island, intended to soak up rainwater from a parking lot of 300 spaces. An incredibly beautiful addition to any garden or small urban space, blazing stars are also loved by bees, flies, and other pollinating insects.
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