Mondays with Martha #270 - Golden Alexanders

This week I share an underappreciated spring wildflower that punches well above its weight class for pollinator support, Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea). Providing critical nectar and pollen resources to a wide range of pollinators during the June Father's Day flowering lull between early spring ephemerals and summer blooming wildflowers, this species is also the host plant for eastern black and Ozark swallowtail butterflies. From rain gardens to prairie plantings to woodland borders, this native plant is very adaptable and easy to add to your own landscape!

Resources to learn more:

Michigan Flora Online: michiganflora.net (search Zizia aurea)

Illinois Wildflowers: illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/gld_alexanderx.htm

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ziau

USDA Plants Database: plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ziau

MSU Extension (Golden Alexanders Fact Sheet): canr.msu.edu/nativeplants

Minnesota Wildflowers: minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/golden-alexanders

Xerces Society: xerces.org