I am often asked "What is your favorite flower?" I never have a consistent answer. It is not that I am fickle, loving one sunflowers does not lessen my love for evening primroses. Rather, the species that are foremost in my mind changes. Not to mention that the context of the question will change the answer.
However, there are certain plants, that when I see them in nature, make my heart extra happy. Lead plant (Amorpha canescens) is such a species.
Lead plant is a native prairie plant, a member of the bean family. It is extra-tasty to animals, especially cattle, who will preferentially eat it. So to see this species in nature indicates land that has never been plowed and is not over-grazed, a sign that I am standing on native prairie.
Then there are the flowers - bright purple petals with vibrant orange anthers that feed that native pollinators. One study found 49 bee species visiting the flowers for pollen and nectar (Slagle and Hendrix 2009). Lead plant also supports leaf hoppers, grasshoppers, and other herbivorous insects, which in turn are important food sources for birds, bats, and small land mammals.
When not-flowering, lead plant is recognizable by it's pinnately compound (like a feather) leaves. Their grey-green hue give lead plant its name.
Slagle, M. W. and S. D. Hendrix. (2009) Reproduction of Amorpha canescens (Fabaceae) and diversity of its bee community in a fragmented landscape Oecologia. 161:813–823 DOI 10.1007/s00442-009-1429-3