“Purple Prairie Clover, Rooting for Pollinators”

“Purple Prairie Clover is a staple legume of sunny, diverse plantings in medium to dry soils. This plant is not picky when it comes to the soil characteristics, as long as the site is well-drained. Typical habitats of Purple Prairie Clover include black soils prairies, sand prairies, savannas, and limestone glades. Before flowering, it can be easy to tell the Purple from the White Prairie Clover by looking at the leaves, which are wide on the White and narrow on the Purple Prairie Clover (see corresponding photo). Purple Prairie Clover has a deep taproot that ensures it will last in any native planting. Previously called Petalostemum purpureum, we love Purple Prairie Clover because it can be planted in the spring, on bare soil, and will germinate without overwintering; it does not need stratification.

(Source: Prairie Moon Nursery, based in Winona, MN)

Pollination Facts:

• Though PP Clover can self pollinate, insect-pollinated flowers are much more likely to produce viable seeds
• The Reakirt’s Blue butterfly, a member of the gossamer-winged Lycaenidae family of butterflies, also relies on this plant as a larval host

Who is in this piece?

This piece features a Southern Dogface butterfly (who relies on this plant as a host, note the ‘dog face’ on the upper wings; far right), a Cellophane bee (center, on floral head), Bumblebee (upper left), and two Hoverflies (far right and far left).