Leonard Weber

July 17, 2024

Now, in the middle of July, there are thousands of Yellow Coneflowers blooming in Eliza Howell Park. 

Yellow Coneflowers reach a height of about 4 feet. The flowers are characterized by droopy yellow ray florets surrounding a cone-like center disk.

The core disk, which can be up to 3/4 of an inch tall, changes color as it matures from a light green or gray to a dark brown.

Each plant has several stems rising above the lower leaves and topped with a flower.

The plant, being a little top-heavy and kind of delicate, sways when the breeze blows.

Yellow Coneflowers attract a number of insects, but they are not the same kind of insect magnet as some other summer flowers, such as Wild Bergamot and Purple Coneflower. The larger butterflies clearly prefer Purple Coneflower to Yellow Coneflower.

Yellow Coneflower is a prairie native and there is nothing quite like a field of mixed prairie flowers that includes an abundance of these drooping yellows to provide a sense that the summer wildflower season has fully arrived.