Foxglove



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Nope.  That is not newly-fallen snow in the tall grass prairie.  It happens to be Smooth Penstemon - Penstemon digitalis. 

 

A member of the snapdragon family this showy native to the prairie is commonly called foxglove or beardtongue.  Native Americans and folk-healers have made use of this plant for medicinal purposes for both people and animals.  And when it blooms...BAM!  There it is. 

 

 

 

On our pollinator habitat this is the first species to materialize in large quantities.  And there is an abundance of this blooming beauty. Acres upon acres of the stuff.  This flower appears during late spring or early summer for about a month and then it’s gone.  

 

Long-tongued bees, including honeybees, bumblebees, miner bees, butterflies, Sphinx moths, and hummingbirds favor this plant.  The name Beardtongue is a consequence of the hairy reproductive parts found within the flower.