Plant · GBIF taxon 3150935
purple coneflower
Echinacea purpureaAlso known as Eastern Purple Coneflower, Hedgehog Coneflower, Echinacea
Purple coneflowers draw buzzing native bees, butterflies, and goldfinches with their spiky central cones and droop-petaled magenta ray flowers. These sturdy perennials thrive in prairie soils and dry open woods, where deep taproots anchor them against severe heat and drought. In late autumn, mature seed heads remain standing through winter, offering an essential cold-weather food source for foraging songbirds.
PerennialPollinator MagnetPrairie Native
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Sunlight
- Water
- Soil Minerals
Predators
- American Goldfinch
- White-tailed Deer
- Rabbits
ThreatsHabitat loss, land development, over-harvesting from wild populations
HabitatsPrairies, dry open woods, savannahs, and glades
Life spanUp to 10 to 20 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyAsteraceae
- SpeciesEchinacea purpurea
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Winter Gardening: Leave dead flower stalks standing until spring to provide food for winter goldfinches.
- Pollinator Spotting: Visit patches on sunny summer afternoons to observe native bumblebees and butterflies feeding.
- Garden Planting: Place in full sun and well-drained soil to encourage strong stems and abundant flowers.
Prairie Companion no rights reserved, uploaded by Brady Reed · cc0
Pollinator Sid Mosdell from New Zealand / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
Close Relative (c) threelark, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by threelark · cc-by
Close Relative
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