This plant gets up to 3 feet high. It's leaves are needle-like and were used to make rope by Native Americans. The plant is an indicator of a good quality prairie. Many types of insects are attracted to the flowers. It is a medicinal plant and its name indicates how Native Americans used it. It is a member of the agave family.

This plant grows in dry prairies. It gets up to three feet tall. The leaves have little hairs on them and are bitter tasting. It usually is not eaten by animals. The blooms start at the base of the flower stalk and move upward to the tip . It blooms in July and August.

This plant grows up to 4 feet tall. Its seed head is dark and has a strong scent when crumbled. Butterflies are attracted to the flower in summer and birds are attracted to the seeds in fall. It blooms in July and August.

This plant grows up to 6 feet high and is found in moist prairies. It blooms in mid- summer. The plant is named after a medicine man, who used the plant to cure typhus. It is also called “gravel root” for its ability to expel kidney stones from the urinary tract.

This plant has a number of names including: bee balm, horsemint, and sweet leaf . It grows up to 4 feet tall and blooms in mid-summer. It is in the mint family and is an important herb in Native American medicine. It is also a natural perfume that was used as a love charm.

In moist prairies, this plant grows up to 8 feet tall. It blooms in July & August. It is in the same family as the sunflower and has a similar flower.  The leaves are joined around the stem and hold water after a rain. It is from this structure that the plant gets its name. Birds and insects are attracted to the water that is held by the leaves. They also pollinate the flowers and spread the seeds.

This plant, is also known as Echinacea and blooms in July & August. It grows to a height of 4 feet and has multiple stems. It is a favorite plant of gardeners and herbalists. Herbalists use this plant today to improve the immune system. In addition, the seed head is so stiff that Native Americans combed their hair with it. It was also mainly used to heal rattlesnake bites.

This beautiful plant blooms in early summer and grows to a a height of 3 feet. This plant is in the milkweed family and monarchs lay their eggs on it. The roots of this plant were used to cure pleurisy by Native Americans and European settlers. It creates a beautiful seedpod that releases 'parachute' seeds in the fall.

Photo Credit Esther Westerveld. This plant normally grows in wet prairies and blooms in August. It grows up to 4 feet tall. It has small teeth on the margins of the leaf and is not eaten by animals. It gets its name from the densely packed roots that forms offshoots of new plants. Native Americans dried the roots and used them to reduce fevers. Many types of insects pollinate the flower.

This plant blooms in early summer and grows to a height of 2 feet. It is found in dry prairies and is drought tolerant. The plant has multiple stems while roots grow as deep as six feet. This is an attractive plant to insects and people. Native Americans brewed a tea from the leaves and ate the roots raw.

This plant grows to a height of 4 feet. It is in the mint family and when the leaves are crushed they smell like licorice. The leaves make a tasty tea. It blooms in mid-summer.

There are many species of this genus that bloom during a prairie summer. Some species grow in dry areas, while others prefer more moisture. This plant ranges from 2 to 5 feet high. Many species of butterflies are attracted to it's flowers. The species shown below blooms in mid August during the height of the Monarch migration.