Liatris

A native upright perennial of east-central NA wet meadows producing dense purple flower spikes that bloom top-down in late summer - among the most reliable monarch-migration nectar plants in the eastern flora. NC State documents goldfinches feeding on the seeds with enthusiasm, plus two specialist moth larvae (Liatris flower moth Schinia sanguinea and Liatris borer moth Carmenta anthracipennis). Native stem-nesting bees use the dead winter stems.

The tall blazing star of the tallgrass prairie: dense, cattail-like spikes of rose-purple flower heads, up to 20 inches long, open from the top down in summer on very leafy, hairy stems that can reach 5 feet. The Wildflower Center calls it one of the few Liatris that grows well in very moist soil, so it takes the damp prairie ground and rain gardens that rough blazing star would rot in, though not soil that stays wet all winter.

The blazing star of dry, sandy and rocky ground: a prairie, glade and savanna perennial whose stiff stems carry rounded, button-like rose-purple flower heads spaced apart along the spike, opening from August into October, later than most Liatris. Where dense blazing star wants a moist meadow and prairie blazing star copes with damp soil, this one is the drought-tolerant choice for lean, sharply drained sites.