Purple Prairie Clover + Bumblebee

I smile every time purple prairie clover graces me with a wave and a smile of its own. Swaying in the breeze with other prairie grasses, it is a member of the legume family with a large taproot and nitrogen-fixing characteristics. They help with erosion control in restoration efforts, and are both nutritious and hardy perennials. Flower heads are cylindrical spikes packed with tiny, purple flowers and orange stamens atop spires with narrow pinnate leaves. Blooming time is from late spring to early autumn, attracting all kinds of bees and butterflies with its nectar. Birds and small mammals eat the seeds. It might even volunteer in a sunny spot in your garden!These flowers were historically used by Indigenous people to treat cardiovascular disease (leaves and blossoms), diarrhea (leaves and blossoms), measles (roots), and stomach aches.

Purple prairie is accompanied by bumblebee. From Nat Geo: “Bumblebees are furry, round insects that live mostly in temperate climates in the Northern Hemisphere. There are more than 250 species of bumblebees, belonging to the genus Bombus (honeybees belong to the genus Apis.) The largest bumblebee species, Bombus dahlbomii, can grow to be an inch and a half in length. Bumblebees are distinctive for their fuzzy, pile-covered bodies and bold colors, which helps them ward off predators. Unlike honeybees, they don’t make honey, as they don’t need to store food for winter—they typically live a year, at most. Bumblebees are among the most important pollinators. They excel at spreading pollen and fertilizing many types of wild plants, as well as important agricultural crops like tomatoes, blueberries, and squash. They can fly in cooler temperatures than other bees, which makes them well suited to pollinating mountain habitats, coastal plains, and even Arctic tundra.”

Original mixed media on raw stretched canvas with maple float frame.