Field Thistle (Cirsium discolor)

 

Field Thistle  (Cirsium discolor)

Field thistle, often confused with its aggressive relatives,  plays a crucial role as a native perennial in the ecology of eastern and central North America. Reaching heights of three to five feet, it bears soft lavender flowerheads—two inches across, perched atop bristled green cups that nourish late-season pollinators.

Its long, lobed leaves, spined at the tips and stretching up to a foot, catch sunlight and offer shelter to a host of creatures. Despite its formidable appearance, field thistle is a generous host: bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds flock to its nectar-rich blooms, while goldfinches feast on its seeds and line their nests with its silky down. Among its many visitors, the painted lady butterfly lays eggs on field thistle, its caterpillars feeding on its leaves.

Thriving in dry, open spaces—fields, roadsides, and prairie remnants—field thistle plays a quiet but essential role in restoration. It reseeds readily, anchoring disturbed soils and stitching together fragmented habitats. In native gardens, it offers both beauty and ecological function, though it’s often overlooked due to confusion with aggressive non-native thistles like Cirsium vulgare. Unlike those invaders, field thistle blends into the community without overwhelming it. 

 Field Thistle (Cirsium discolor)

Field thistle typically grows 3 to 7 feet tall, with upright, hairy stems that may branch near the top. Its flower heads are 1½ to 2 inches across, composed entirely of tubular disc florets in shades of pink to lavender, rarely white. Each head is surrounded by fish-scale-like bracts tipped with bent spines. Leaves are deeply lobed and spiny, up to 9 inches long and 3 inches wide, with a distinctive white underside due to dense hairs. The stems are also hairy but not spiny. This biennial thrives in open habitats—moist to dry prairies, pastures, savannas, roadsides, and forest edges—especially in areas with reduced competition and full sun 

(SF)

Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum)

Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum) 

Cup plant is a powerhouse of prairie biodiversity. Its water-holding leaf cups offer a rare resource for birds and insects during dry spells, while its abundant nectar and pollen support a wide array of native bees, butterflies, and beetles. The plant’s sturdy stems and late-season blooms provide critical structure and forage in restored prairies, wetlands, and riparian buffers. As a deep-rooted perennial, it also contributes to soil stabilization and carbon sequestration, making it a valuable ally in ecological restoration and climate resilience.

Cup plant is a native of eastern North America, including Wisconsin. It can grow up to nine feet tall, bearing numerous three to four-inch, yellow flowers. Each flower head has 20 to 30 yellow rays and darker yellow disks. Leaves often more than ten inches long are joined at the stem to form a small cup. Cup plant thrives in moist, sunny habitats like floodplain woods and prairie edges, in rich, loamy soils. 

(SF)

Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylis)

 

Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylis)

Meadow blazing star typically reaches 2 to 5 feet in height, with slender, erect stems that may be green to reddish and lightly hairy. Its feathery, thistle-like flower heads are 1 to 1.3 inches wide, composed of 30 to 100 pinkish-purple disc florets per head, arranged in a loose raceme along the upper stem. Leaves are lance-shaped, alternate, and vary from 4 to 8 inches long and up to 1.5 inches wide, with sparse white hairs and a smooth texture. The basal leaves are larger and more oblanceolate, while upper leaves are narrower and sessile. Meadow blazing star prefers full sun and well-drained soils—especially sandy, loamy, or rocky substrates—and is most at home in prairies, meadows, and streambanks across the Midwest.

(SF)

Purple Giant Hyssop

 

Purple Giant Hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia)

Purple giant hyssop grows up to 6 feet tall, forming upright clumps with square stems that may be purplish and lightly hairy. Its flower spikes range from 1 to 6 inches long, bearing numerous ¼-inch tubular flowers in pale purple to lavender hues. Each flower has a two-lobed upper lip and a three-lobed lower lip, with four stamens that extend beyond the corolla. Leaves are opposite, stalked, and sharply pointed—up to 4 inches long and 2 inches wide—with coarsely toothed margins and short hairs on the petioles. This mint-family perennial prefers moist, sandy or loamy soils in dappled shade or woodland edges, thriving in thickets, upland woods, and disturbed floodplain margins. It’s sensitive to competition and benefits from occasional habitat disturbance.

(SF)

Wild Cucumber

Wild Cucumber (Echinocystis lobata)

In late summer, when the woods and roadsides of Wisconsin begin to soften into autumn colors, a curious spectacle often appears: trees and shrubs draped in garlands of pale, starry flowers. Look closer, and you’ll find the source is not the woody plant itself, but a vigorous vine with leaves and blooms that resemble those of a cultivated cucumber. This is Echinocystis lobata, commonly known as wild cucumber or balsam-apple—a native annual in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) that slowly weaves its way into the landscape until it bursts into view.

The genus name Echinocystis comes from the Greek echinos (hedgehog) and cystis (bladder), a nod to the plant’s spiny, inflated fruit. Though often overlooked in its early stages, wild cucumber grows rapidly from seed each spring, germinating after the last frost. Its cotyledons resemble those of garden cucumber, and its fleshy, grooved stems soon give rise to large, palmate leaves with three to five pointed lobes. These leaves alternate along the vine, each borne on a long petiole, and from their axils emerge curling, three-pronged tendrils that grasp onto nearby vegetation with remarkable tenacity. In ideal conditions, the vines can stretch up to 30 feet, climbing trees, fences, and anything else in reach.

By mid-summer, wild cucumber begins to flower. Its pale yellowish-white blooms are fragrant and abundant, arranged in long racemes that rise from the leaf axils. The plant is monoecious, producing separate male and female flowers on the same vine. Male flowers cluster in showy spikes, each with six slender petals that give a star-like appearance. Female flowers are fewer, nestled among the males, and distinguished by a small, spiny ovary beneath their petals. Pollinated by insects, these ovaries quickly swell into the plant’s signature fruit: a puffy, green pod covered in soft spines, superficially resembling a small cucumber.

Despite its name, wild cucumber’s fruit is not edible. In fact, it can cause skin irritation in some people. As the season ends, the pods dry and turn brown, eventually bursting open at the base to eject their seeds with surprising force. Each capsule contains four large, flat seeds—two per chamber—propelled outward by hydrostatic pressure. For those wishing to collect seed, bagging the pods before they mature is essential, lest the seeds vanish into the underbrush.

Wild cucumber thrives in moist, sunny habitats—streambanks, swamps, thickets, and roadside ditches—and is found throughout Wisconsin. Though rarely planted intentionally, it may appear in home landscapes, especially near rural edges. Its ornamental potential is undeniable: the vines can elegantly cover arbors, fences, and walls, creating a lush, ephemeral curtain of foliage and flowers. It grows best in rich, moist soil and full sun, and can be started from seed either indoors or directly in the garden once the soil warms. However, seed availability is limited, so gardeners often collect their own in fall.

Yet caution is advised. Its aggressive growth can overwhelm small trees and shrubs, earning it a reputation as a weed in cultivated settings. Fortunately, it is easily controlled by pulling or hoeing young plants before they flower. Because it self-seeds readily, early intervention is key to preventing unwanted spread. In the shifting light of late summer, wild cucumber offers a fleeting spectacle—an exuberant native vine that climbs, blooms, and bursts with life, often admired for its ornamental charm and just as often managed for its too vigorous growth. (SF)

Thinleaf Sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus)

Thinleaf  Sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus)

A native perennial of eastern and central North America, including Wisconsin, thinleaf sunflower typically grows 3 to 6 feet tall, forming loose colonies through rhizomes. Its bright yellow flower heads measure 2 to 3 inches across, each with 8 to 12 ray florets surrounding a central brownish disc. Flowers bloom in loose clusters from late summer into early fall, attracting a wide range of pollinators. Leaves are lanceolate to ovate, thin-textured, and rough to the touch. They range from 3 to 6 inches long and 1 to 3 inches wide. Upper leaves are arranged oppositely, while lower leaves may be alternate. Stems are slender, often smooth or slightly hairy, and branch gracefully near the top. Thinleaf sunflower thrives in partial shade to dappled sun, favoring moist, well-drained soils in woodland edges, thickets, and shaded slopes. It is a valuable species for pollinator support and naturalistic plantings in restoration and garden settings.

(SF)

Common Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)

Common Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)

Despite its name, common sneezeweed won’t make you sneeze. The misnomer stems from historical use—its dried leaves were once used as snuff, prompting sneezing to supposedly rid the body of evil spirits. In reality, this vibrant native wildflower is a boon to Wisconsin’s late-season pollinators, not a trigger for allergies.

Thriving in moist, sunny habitats such as wet meadows and streambanks, Helenium autumnale grows three to five feet tall and bursts into bloom from late summer into fall. Each plant can produce up to 100 flower heads, each one to two inches wide, with 10 to 15 fan-shaped petals tipped in three distinct lobes. These surround a protruding, ball-like center of yellow-green disk florets. Its lance-shaped, stalkless leaves—up to two inches wide and six inches long—add to its robust presence in riparian and prairie-edge ecosystems.

The ecological value of sneezeweed is huge. Its nectar-rich flowers attract a diverse array of native pollinators, especially long-tongued bees like bumblebees and leaf-cutting bees. Syrphid flies and native wasps also frequent its blooms, contributing to pollination while offering pest control in surrounding habitats. Additionally, the plant serves as a larval host for the rigid sunflower borer moth (Papaipema rigida). In wet meadow communities, sneezeweed complements the needs of butterflies such as Duke’s Skipper (Euphyes dukesi), which rely on nearby native sedges for reproduction but benefit from the late-season nectar sneezeweed provides.

Sources:

USDA NRCS PLANTS Database – Helenium autumnale 

Flora of North America – Helenium autumnale 

Wisconsin State Herbarium – Helenium autumnale species account 

Illinois Wildflowers – Common Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) 

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Helenium autumnale profile 

Prairie Moon Nursery – Helenium autumnale 

BugGuide – Papaipema rigida species information 

Michigan State University Extension – Late‑season pollinator plants (includes Helenium autumnale)

(SF)

 

White Rattlesnake-Root (Nabalus albus)

 

Photo by Gary Kurtz

(SF)

Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii)

 

Photo by Jeff Nesta

     Bottle Gentian is a Wisconsin native, perennial wildflower. It typically grows to a height of one to two feet and spreads about one to 1-1/2 feet wide. Its unique flowers are one to 1-1/2 inches long, tubular, and bottle-shaped, usually deep blue to violet in color, and remain closed even when mature. The leaves are up to four inches long and two inches wide, ovate to lanceolate in shape, tapering to a pointed tip, and arranged in opposite pairs along the stem. They attach directly to the stem without stalks and have smooth or slightly fringed edges with shiny, hairless upper surfaces. Bottle Gentian thrives in moist, rich soils and prefers part shade to full sun, commonly found in moist prairies, stream sides, floodplain forests, thickets, fens, and other swampy areas near water. (SF)

Sawtooth Sunflower (Helianthus grosseserratus)

Sawtooth Sunflower (Helianthus grosseserratus) 

Sawtooth Sunflower is a native, perennial wildflower. It can grow up to 12 feet tall. It bears bright yellow, daisy-like flowers that measure 2-1/2 to four inches across. The flowers are composed of 10 to 20 ray petals that surround a center disk of small, tubular florets. These blooms are held in loose clusters at the end of branching stems. It has smooth stems that are reddish to reddish-purple. The leaves are lanceolate and can range from four to 12 inches long and one to four inches wide. The lower leaves are usually opposite and the upper leaves are alternate. The upper surface of the leaves is medium to dark green and rough in texture while the lower surface is pale green and softly hairy. The edges have sawtooth-like edges. It prefers full sun and well drained soils. Sawtooth Sunflowers can be found in prairies, meadows, and along roadsides. (SF)

      

Canadian Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)

 

     Photo by Gary Kurtz

     Canadian goldenrod is a herbaceous perennial that can grow up to 6 feet tall. Its small, vibrant yellow flowers form large clusters at the top of the stem, with each cluster reaching up to 5 inches long. The flowers bloom from late summer to early fall, attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies. The stems are erect and rigid, covered with fine hairs towards the top and mostly smooth lower down, ranging from 2 to 6 feet in height. The leaves are alternate on the stem, lanceolate to broad-linear in shape, and range from 2 to 5 inches long and about 1 inch wide. The margins can be sharply serrated or slightly serrated with small teeth. The upper side of the leaves is medium green with small white hairs, while the underside is smooth and light green. Canadian goldenrod thrives in moist soil with medium texture and moderate levels of organic matter, commonly found in damp meadows, along waterways, and in ditches along roadsides and railroads. (SF)

Cream Gentian (Gentiana alba)

Photo by Judith Kozminski

     Cream Gentian typically grows to a height of 2 to 3 feet. Its tube-shaped flowers, which are about 1-1/2 inches long and 3/4 inch across, can be white, greenish-white, or yellowish-white, with five petals that have small erect tips. The leaves are opposite, strongly clasp the central stem, and are broadly lanceolate, ovate, or cordate, extending up to three inches long and two inches across. They feature a prominent central vein and two side veins that parallel the smooth margins. Cream Gentian prefers mesic black soil prairies and can also be found at the edges of upland forests, sandy oak savannas, limestone glades, and rocky bluffs, thriving in full to partial sun and moist to average soil conditions. (SF) 

     

      

Tall Boneset (Eupatorium altissimum)

 

Photo by Gary Kurtz

     Tall Boneset is a perennial plant that typically grows two to six feet tall and can spread about two to three feet wide. Its small, star-shaped flowers are about 1/8 inch across, dull white, and form large, flat-topped clusters up to eight inches wide. The leaves are lanceolate, opposite, ranging from two to six inches long and about an inch wide, occasionally toothed along the margins and covered with fine hairs. Tall Boneset thrives in dry upland prairies, open woods, thickets, clearings, and fields throughout eastern and central North America. It prefers dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils and can often be found in disturbed areas where it may form large colonies. (SF)

Flat-top Aster (Doellingeria umbellata)

Photo by Gary Kurtz 

     The flat-topped aster typically grows two to five feet tall and can spread two to four feet wide. Its small, daisy-like flowers are white with yellow centers, each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch across, and are arranged in flat-topped clusters at the top of the stems. The leaves are three to six inches long and 1/2 to 1 inch wide, lanceolate-elliptic in shape, with smooth margins and a medium to dark green upper surface and a pale green or whitish green lower surface. Flat-topped aster thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers moist to occasionally wet soils, commonly found in wet sand prairies, damp thickets, wet meadows, and along the borders of swamps. It does well in slightly acidic, sandy loam soils and can tolerate a range of moisture conditions.(SF)

Jumpseed (Persicaria virginiana)

Photo by Gary Kurtz

     Jumpseed is an herbaceous perennial that typically reaches a height of two to three feet. Its flowers are quite small, about 1/8 inch long, and range in color from white to greenish-white, sometimes with a pinkish hue. These flowers are arranged sparsely along a spike-like raceme that can be four to 16 inches long. The leaves of Jumpseed are generally oval with a sharply pointed tip, growing up to seven inches long and four inches wide. They are medium green on the top and a silvery lighter green underneath. This plant thrives in rich, moist soils and is commonly found in shaded or partially shaded areas such as woodlands, woodland edges, and thickets. It can also grow along riverbanks, cliffs, and rocks. (SF)

      

Elm-leaf Goldenrod (Solidago ulmifolia)

Elm-leaf Goldenrod (Solidago ulmifolia)

Elm-leaved goldenrod is a keystone plant—part of a genus that supports over 100 species of butterfly and moth caterpillars, making it vital to the food web that sustains birds and other wildlife. Caterpillars are among the most important foods for nesting birds.  In bloom, this powerful perennial also draws a wide array of native bees, along with flies, wasps, and nectar-seeking beetles. Its seeds feed birds like eastern goldfinches and tree sparrows, and its presence in prairie and woodland edges contributes to the layered architecture that shelters countless other species. Though often overlooked, S. ulmifolia is a cornerstone of late-summer ecology.

Elm-leaf goldenrod typically grows to a height of 1 to 3 feet, occasionally reaching up to 4 feet. Its small, yellow flowers form dense clusters along arching stems, with each flower head measuring about 1/8 inch across. The leaves are thin, coarsely toothed, and resemble those of an elm tree. The lower leaves are 2 to 4 inches long and 1/2 to 2 1/4 inches wide, ovate to lanceolate in shape with serrated margins. As they ascend the stem, the leaves become smaller and more lance-shaped. Elm-leaf goldenrod thrives in a variety of habitats, including mesic to upland woodlands, woodland edges, thinly wooded bluffs, edges of limestone glades, partially shaded riverbanks, and thickets. It prefers light shade to partial sun and can tolerate moist to somewhat dry soil. (SF)

 

Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana)

 

Virgin’s Bower  (Clematis virginiana)

Virgin’s bower is a vigorous native vine that plays an important role in Wisconsin’s moist woodlands and streamside habitats. Its fragrant late-summer blooms support bees, butterflies, and other pollinators when few other natives are flowering, while its dense foliage offers nesting cover for songbirds and erosion control along banks. As a host plant for specialist insects like the Clematis Clearwing Moth, it contributes to complex food webs, even attracting beneficial parasitic wasps. Though its foliage is avoided by mammals, such as deer and rabbits, its adaptability and fast growth make it a valuable addition to restoration projects, especially when paired with other moisture-loving natives.

It can grow up to 20 feet tall. Its small, white, and fragrant flowers are about 1 inch across, featuring four petal-like sepals that are slightly hairy on the upper surface and more densely so on the lower. The leaves are compound, typically in groups of three leaflets, with each leaflet reaching up to 4 inches long and 3 inches wide. These leaflets are often shallowly lobed or cleft, with coarsely toothed edges, sharply pointed tips, and a rounded to heart-shaped base. (SF)

Stiff Sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus)

Stiff Sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus)

Stiff sunflower is a native perennial found in Wisconsin. Its late-summer blooms offer a rich nectar source for native bees, butterflies, and beetles, while its seeds provide food for birds and small mammals. As a rhizomatous perennial, it helps stabilize soil and form dense colonies that suppress invasive species, making it a valuable ally in prairie restoration. Its rough foliage and sturdy stems also offer shelter and nesting material for insects.

It can grow up to six feet tall. Most of the ones I've seen, though, are two to four feet tall. The flowers are yellow and measure 2 to 3-1/2 inches across. They have 10 to 25 petals (ray flowers) surrounding a usually purplish-brown center disk. The bracts are short, wide, and flattened, usually with a dull point at the tip and short hairs around the edges. The stems are bristly and turn reddish-brown with age. They are mostly naked and branching. The leaves are two to 10 inches long and 3/4 to 2-1/4 inches wide. They are typically shaped like the tip of a spear, with a very rough texture. The leaves are short-stalked to stalkless and have shallow, widely spaced teeth along the edges. Stiff sunflowers are  are commonly found in dry or drying prairies, roadsides, and open woods. They prefer full sun and well-drained soils. (SF)

Yellow Giant Hyssop (Agastache nepetoides)

 

Yellow Giant Hyssop  (Agastache nepetoides)

As a regionally native perennial thriving in Wisconsin’s savannas and woodlands, yellow giant hyssop plays an important role in stabilizing soils, enriching plant communities, and supporting pollinator networks across a range of habitats. It typically grows between three to seven feet tall, with most plants reaching around five to six feet. The flowers are small and pale yellow, arranged in dense, vertical spikes that can be four to 16 inches long. Each individual flower is about 1/3 inch long. The leaves are opposite, thin, and coarsely toothed, somewhat egg-shaped with a rounded base, and attached to long stalks. They can be up to six inches long and three inches wide. Yellow giant hyssop prefers rich soil in a savanna (part shade) setting but can also tolerate full sun. It naturally occurs in meadows, along fencerows, in lowland woods, thickets, and upland deciduous woods. It thrives in moist to mesic conditions and can grow in both fairly dry and very wet locations. 

(SF)

Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida)

 

Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida) 

Stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida) is a native perennial found widely across Wisconsin’s prairies, dry fields, and open woodlands. Typically growing between three to five feet tall, it features bright yellow flowers arranged in dense, flat-topped clusters. Each individual flower measures about 3/8 inch in diameter, while the entire inflorescence spans two to five inches across. The plant’s leaves are stiff and rough-textured, with basal leaves reaching up to ten inches long and five inches wide. Along the stem, leaves are alternately arranged—lower leaves are oblong and up to eight inches long, while upper leaves are lance-shaped and stalkless.

Ecologically, stiff goldenrod plays a vital role in supporting pollinators during the late summer and fall, when many other nectar sources have faded. Its flowers attract a wide variety of insects, including native bees, butterflies, hoverflies, and soldier beetles. Some specialist pollinators even rely on goldenrod species exclusively. After blooming, the plant produces fluffy seeds that persist into winter, providing food for birds such as goldfinches and chickadees. Its upright stems also offer perching and shelter for small wildlife, adding structural diversity to prairie and savanna habitats.

Beyond its value to pollinators and birds, stiff goldenrod contributes to soil health and stability. Its deep, fibrous roots help prevent erosion and improve soil structure, especially in degraded or disturbed areas. The plant also supports insect life cycles, serving as a host for the larvae of moths and butterflies, and forming goldenrod galls that offer overwintering habitat for various species. Its adaptability to dry, sandy, and rocky soils makes it a resilient choice for restoration projects, biodiversity corridors, and even formal plantings where ecological function is a priority. (SF)