Purple Prairie Clover: Crimson and Yellow Florets

Close-up of Purple Prairie Clover flowers
at the Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, SK    © SB

After their yellow seasonal start, prairie wildflowers are moving into bright waves of pinks and purples.

Examples include the Purple Prairie Clover that's now in bloom, along with Dotted Blazingstars, Asters and Fleabane.

Prairie Clover is a sprawling, semi-prostrate plant that shoots out red-stalked flower spikes close to the ground.

Vance/Jowsey says the flowers are most often seen at the base of the spike, with a bare spot above. Purple Prairie Clover flowers are numerous and densely packed, with dark rose and purple shades; they grow on hillsides, road edges and uncultivated land.

(And, like many wildflowers, Purple Prairie Clover flowers are small... The spikes average about half an inch to one inch, with the individual flowers less than one eighth of an inch long.)

Purple Prairie Clover flower stalk
at the Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, SK    © SB

Prairie Wildflower: Purple Prairie Clover   
Photo Location: Condie Nature Refuge (near Regina), Saskatchewan

Photo Date: July 31, 2013

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