Silent Impact Environmental

 Introducing this weeks wildflower:  GOLDEN ALEXANDER Golden Alexander Zizia aurea Grows 2-3 feet tall Region: Eastern North America (widespread) Flowers May-June Golden Alexander grows in medium moist soil, meaning it can live when the ground is wet or dry during different times of the season. It prefers partial to full sun, but can handle some shade. The third year is when the flower typically takes off, with smaller growth on its second year. Golden Alexanders are in the Apiaceae family which is the carrott family.  The leaves are in groups of three, typically 3 inches long with teethed edges and a pointy tip. They serve as a host plant for the black swallowtail butterfly. Golden Alexanders live a short life compared to other wildflowers, around 5 years. However, the plants typically seed easily in a garden or a field and keep the population going.  Thanks for reading! https://www.canr.msu.edu/nativeplants/plant_facts/golden_alexanders https://www.minnesotawildflo...

 Hello! The wildflower for this week makes quite the color show in the summer, meet the... ROYAL CATCHFLY: Royal Catchfly Silene regia Grows 4-6 feet tall Ranges in the Central Midwest Flowers Late June-August Leaves branch off opposite and the plant is typically covered in small white hairs. There are no extruding branches until the top, where the buds extend into flowers with 5 petals. Red is a very rare color, especially for prairie wildflowers. Red is attractive to butterflies, which are the primary pollinators, especially larger butterflies, including the Black Swallowtail. Another major pollinator is the ruby-throated hummingbird, making the royal catchfly one of the few prairie flowers which is pollinated by hummingbirds.  Prefers dry, full sun soil, and can perform well in rocky, loam earth. The seeds are small black dots which remain in the flower bud until the wind disperses them, leaving the seeds nearby. In most states where the catchfly occurs naturally, it is dee...