Purple cone flowers grow in dry areas and are drought tolerant. They bloom in early summer and continue to early fall. Their stems are usually stiff and hairy, and they usually have purple, daisy-like flowers, with petals that grow downward from a prickly cone in the center. Some purple cone flowers can be other colors like white, yellow, and pink.
If you see a wild coneflower, do not dig it up! It might be endangered. There are only 7-9 species of purple coneflowers, and two of them are on the endangered list.
Many people believe that the Echinacea plant has medical benefits, but research is showing that there are no benefits in relation to sickness or with help in fighting colds. The consumption of Echinacea may increase white blood cell counts, but that is most likely due to the body fighting off one of the chemicals in these plants. The increase of white blood cells is short-lived. The good news, is that if you're one of those people who pops an Echinacea pill when you get a cold, there are no health risks. And who knows, if you believe it will help you, you may experience a little placebo effect.
I love cone flowers.
ReplyDeleteI do, too. They look so cheerful.
Deletei had no idea they were endangered--you are always teaching me--thanks sherry!!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. It's fun to learn new things, isn't it?
DeleteThese remind me of the Midwest, and my MIL's house.
ReplyDeleteI live in the Midwest, and these things are all over the place here.
DeleteThis is so cool! My girl loves purple and this purple cone is simply lovely! I am going to look for them in the local nursery ... especially they come with some health benefit! Thanks Sherry!
ReplyDeleteYou'll love the birds and butterflies they attract!
DeleteBeautiful
ReplyDeleteI think so, too!
DeleteSo pretty! We've just moved house and have the lovely task of picking out new flowers and plants for our garden. We picked up some Echinacea the other day and they are so lovely! It's fun living here - we've moved from central England, right down to the South coast and because the soil is different somehow, we can find and grow lots of different things. For example, the roads here are lined with lots of beautiful Rhododendrons, which you don't find in our other region :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like you'll have a lovely garden. Good luck setting up your house and garden!
DeleteThese are pretty flowers. I had no idea that some of them were on the endangered list.
ReplyDeletesurprising, isn't it?
DeleteI didn't know they attracted butterflies, that's awesome. This may be a really dumb question, but this is my first year of attempting to grow anything, can you buy them to plant, even with some of them being endangered? I'd love something to attract more butterflies to our yard.
ReplyDeleteYes, you can buy them to plant. Check your local nursery. I'm sure you'll find them there.
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