![purple coneflower. purple coneflower.](https://naturezedge.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PURPLE-CONEFLOWER.jpg)
A wide range of bees including honey bees, native bees, and leafcutter bees collect nectar and pollen from purple coneflowers. Purple coneflower is highly attractive to a wide range of pollinators.
![purple coneflower. purple coneflower.](https://oregonwholesaleseed.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ConeflowerPurple01.jpg)
For backyard beekeepers, purple coneflowers are worth taking special note of because they bloom during the summer dearth when there are often fewer flowers blooming that honey bees will use. Honey bees, as well as many of our native bee species, will collect nectar and pollen from purple coneflowers. Echinacea is based on the Greek word echinos which means spiny or prickly. Just as a side note, the central cone of disc flowers is what the cone in “coneflower” refers to and the resulting seed head is what inspired the name of the genus.
![purple coneflower. purple coneflower.](https://pixfeeds.com/images/flowers/1280-136691469-echinacea.jpg)
These are the flowers that produce the nectar and pollen, then eventually the seeds. The center is composed of lots of fertile disc flowers. The “petals” are actually infertile ray flowers designed to attract pollinators. They bloom in the summer, in Kentucky that typically translates to late June through July. There are several other closely related species of coneflower that are also purple, but purple coneflowers are by far the most common in the horticulture industry. In fact, because so many of our natural prairies and barrens have been turned into developed areas or farmland, this native wildflower may be more common now in pollinator plantings and garden settings than it is in the wild.Īs the name suggests, purple coneflowers have purple flowers. It is also commonly planted in prairie restoration sites or similar settings and has become a popular ornamental flower that can be found throughout the horticulture industry. In the wild it is found in open prairies and meadows. Purple coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea) is a perennial wildflower native to most of the eastern 2/3 of the U.S. Many different species of butterflies, including monarchs, will feed on the nectar produced by purple coneflowers.