Large-Flowered Butterfly Weed - Oenothera filiformis

I learned this plant as Gaura longiflora, but in 2007 the name was changed to Oenothera filiformis. Scientific names change for various reasons. In this case, molecular analysis showed species in four genera - Oenothera, Gaura, Steonosiphon, and Calylophus, were more closely related that previously thought based upon floral morphology (Wagner et al. 2007). There is a movement in the science of taxonomy to make our classification systems (i.e. what we name plants) reflect evolutionary relationships between species. So all the plants in these genera were placed into genus Oenothera. I am working on relearning these names.

Oenothera filiformis is a lovely plant. It can grow quite tall -up to 6 feet and has velvety foliage. The blossoms flutter in the breeze, giving the common name of Butterfly Weed (which is not the same as Butterfly Milkweed). This is a tough plant that can grow in many conditions, and can become common in "weedy" places such as roadsides, waste grounds, and railroad right-of-ways.

I "captured" this species on July 8, 2021 at a privately-owned prairie near Topeka, KS.

Wagner, W., Hoch, P., & Raven, P. (2007). Revised Classification of the Onagraceae. Systematic Botany Monographs,83, 1-240. Retrieved July 11, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25027969

Prairie Clovers - Dalea sp.

Continuing on with the Bean Family, I present two species of Prairie Clover common in pristine tall-grass prairie. As with lead plant, these two species are high in protein and tasty to cattle, and will be depleted in lands that are over-grazed.

White Prairie Clover - Dalea candida

Purple Prairie Clover - Dalea purpurea

Both captured on 7/8/21 at a privately owned prairie near Topeka, KS.

Lead Plant - Amorpha canescens

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