Purple Prairie Clover
Purple prairie clover is a tap-rooted legume. Has a unique, red to purple cylindrical flower head that is a useful wildlife plant and attracts butterflies. Native to the tall and mid-height prairie of the central United States. Blooms June to August along dry banks, hillsides and prairies. Low to moderate moisture requirement.  

Blackeyed Susan
Blackeyed Susan has low to moderate water requirement. Adapts well in full sun to partial shade. Yellow composite sunflower-like blossoms are found May to October in fields, prairies or open woods. A highly adaptable species found on a wide range of soil types. Biennial or perennial.
 

Maximilaian Sunflower
Maximilaian sunflower needs full sunlight, and has fair drought tolerance. Aggressive perennial wildflower native to central U.S. plains states. Produces showy yellow ray flowers. Because of its height, this warm-season flower is often used as a privacy screen. Common on deep or heavy soils. Rhizomatous, very competitive in mixes. Late blooming, July to October. Perennial.  

Prairie Coneflower
Prairie coneflower is a drought resistant wildflower. Drooping yellow ray petals surround a conical disk and are borne on a single stem. A showy species common on gentle slopes, roadsides, or grassy prairies, especially on well-drained soils. Recommended in reclamation or wildflower mixtures.  

White Yarrow
White yarrow is a drought tolerant plant that does best in full sunlight. Flat clusters of small white flower heads bloom spring to fall. Feathery, fernlike leaves are distinctly pungent and are located along a fibrous, tough central stem. An aggressive species widely used for erosion control or landscaping. Often used as ground cover, spreads by rhizomes. Adapted throughout North America. Perennial.  

Blue Flax
Blue flax is a drought resistant tolerant plant that does best in full sunlight. Light blue flowers borne daily. This western native does best in dry, light soils. Blooms first year. Perennial.  

Gardener Saltbush
Short spreading evergreen shrub. Found primarily in medium to heavy textured soils in valleys, flats and slope areas. Extremely salt and alkali tolerant. Excellent forage for both livestock and wildlife.  

Lead Plant
A shrubby legume with gray leaf color that gives this plant its name. The flowers are in 4" - 6" spikes. Slow growing plant with an extensive root system. Blooming from June through August. Perennial flower adapted to the central states.  

Fourwing Saltbush
Medium to tall, drought tolerant shrub adapted to a wide range of soil types. Does not do well in high water table areas. Provides excellent cover for birds and small animals. Palatable to wildlife and livestock. Use a local ecotype for best adaptability.  

Winter Fat
Small to medium half-shrub evergreen. Adapted to many soil textures on flat or sloped areas. Does not perform in acid soils or areas of high water table. Very palatable to wildlife and livestock.

Grayhead/Yellow Coneflower
Have long, yellow ray flowers that droop from a cone. Makes an attractive border fora background planting. Long-lived, true prairie plant native to tall-grass prairies. Blooms summer or fall, palatable to livestock and therefore is seen mostly in areas where grazing is minimal.  

American Vetch
Every county in North Dakota probably has a population of American vetch. The plant is widely distributed in a variety of open habitats across much of the North American continent. The bluish-purple flowers of this perennial are about 3/4 inch long. Three to 9 flowers are widely spaced along each branch of the upper stems. There are several varieties of this plant in our area. The typical prairie variety has four to nine very narrow leaflets that connect to a midrib to form leaves about two inches long. Small, curly tendrils tip the ends of the leaflets. Stems are usually about a foot long, and may sprawl along the ground or climb on other plants. The legumes (pods) at maturity are flattish and about as long as the flowers. American vetch is readily consumed by livestock, so look for the plant in pastures that are in good range condition and not overgrazed. Some seeds of the vetches, such as the faba bean, are roasted and eaten whole or in flour. Several old world vetches are cultivated and plowed down for green manure.  

Purple Coneflower
The beginning of summer coincides quite well with the blooming of purple coneflower. This plant can be found throughout all but extreme northeastern North Dakota. The overall range of purple coneflower lies mostly within the band of grasslands that extends from Saskatchewan to Texas, at elevations up to 4,500 ft. Purple coneflower is a rough, hairy perennial that stands up to 18 inches tall. The 1 to 3 flowering stems bear leaves only on the bottom half. Flower heads are up to three inches wide; the rounded central portion bears a hundred or more brown disc flowers, while from the periphery radiate about two dozen rose-purple ray flowers that are up to an inch long. Fruits are four-angled achenes about 1/4 inch long. The prickly central portion of the flower head persists throughout the winter. Purple coneflower seems to prosper best on lightly and moderately grazed prairie in our area. The plant has a long history of medicinal use by the Kiowa, who chewed the ground roots and swallowed the juice to alleviate coughs and sore throats.  

Canada Milk-vetch
Canada milk-vetch blooms in late July. The plant can be found in many parts of Canada, in Siberia, across the eastern United States, and from Texas to Utah. Canada milk-vetch is the largest of the 21 species of milk-vetch found in the area; specimens over four feet tall have been encountered. Plants are perennial from rhizomes, so clumps of multiple stems are normally seen. Two to five dozen greenish-white to pale yellow flowers occur in dense cylindric clusters (racemes) up to 8 inches long. Each flower is about five eighths inch long. Leaves are green, up to 12 inches long, and bear up to 35 inch-long leaflets arranged pinnately. At maturity the cylindrical brown pods (legumes) are about one half inch long. Clusters of legumes remain upright all winter. Look for Canada milk-vetch in rich native prairie at the bases of hills and slopes.  

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Wild Bergamot is found from British Columbia to Mexico, at elevations up to 9,000 ft. Plants are also known as "horsemints" and "beeblams." Look for wild bergamot in rich soils at the bases of prairie hills and in coulees. The plant is noted for its fragrance, and is a source of oil of thyme.

Wild bergamot is a native perennial with slender creeping rhizomes and thus commonly occurs in large clumps, with dark lavnder to rose purple flowers. Plants are up to 3 feet tall with a few erect branches. Leaves are 2-3 inches long, lance-shaped, and toothed. Flower clusters are solitary at the ends of branches. Each cluster is about 1-1/2 inches long and contains about 20-50 flowers. Wild bergamot is a member of the mint family that contains at least 3500 species worldwide. The family is noted for its fragrant oils (lavender, rosemary, mint, horehound, thyme, etc.)

White Prairie Clover (Kalea candida)
White prairie clover grows from Ontario to Alberta south to Alabama and northern Mexico at elevations below 7,000 ft. Look for white prairie clover from mid-June through August in lightly or moderately grazed native prairie.

White prairie clover is a perennial that grows from a heavy taproot and hardened stem base. There are 1 to several stems that are usually about 20 inches tall. Leaves are divided into 3-5 pairs of leaflets about an inch long. Seventy-five or more white flowers are crowded onto spikes about 2-3 inches long. Each flower is about 3/8 inch long. Pods (legumes) are about 1/8 inch long and granular.