My Favorite Fall Flowers

While spring is known for its explosion of wildflowers, there are plenty of blooms throughout the summer and into fall that we can observe and appreciate! Two of my favorites are rough blazing star (Liatris aspera) and goldenrod (Genus Solidago). After the greens of summer and just before the browns of winter, these flowers appear in bright purples and vibrant yellows. They can be found blooming throughout September and into October; within Indiana Dunes National Park, you can find this beautiful duo blooming in oak savannas and prairies along the West Beach trails, Cowles Bog, and Mnoké Prairie, to name a few.

ROUGH BLAZING STAR ALONG COWLES BOG TRAIL

GOLDENROD BLOOMING AMONGST GRASSES IN MNOKÉ PRARIE

These flowers are not only beautiful to look at, but they’re also important sources of nectar for migrating monarch butterflies! September is the start of the mass monarch migration, during which these intrepid insects will fly 3,000 miles to their overwintering sites in the southern U.S. and Mexico. The monarchs stop at the rough blazing stars and goldenrods to refuel, adding pops of orange, black, and white to the pretty prairie painting.

A MONARCH FLYING AMONG GOLDENROD AND BLAZING STAR AT WEST BEACH

The Dunes Learning Center got to see this beautiful display when we were out at West Beach for our school programs on September 8th and 9th, and I immediately recognized the rough blazing star and goldenrod from my prairie home. I moved here from Kansas, and while I’ve been doing my best to learn the flowers of the dunes, it’s always comforting when I see a flower I’m familiar with! I like to think these butterflies feel the same as they flit from blazing star to blazing star, a reliable source of nectar for their long journey. The rough blazing star can be found all throughout the central U.S. along with various species of goldenrod, so although they’re traveling much farther than me, I hope they find the same comfort in these familiar flowers as I did.

YELLOW GOLDENROD IS THE COMPLEMENTARY COLOR OF THE PURPLE ROUGH BLAZING STAR

Aside from comfort, I also feel a certain inspiration when I see these flowers together. Purple and yellow are complementary colors, sitting across from each other on the color wheel. These two colors provide a visually interesting contrast, and they immediately inspire me to create! If I wasn’t leading kids on a hike around the West Beach Loop trail, I would’ve taken out my watercolors right there and sat down to paint! I’m already making plans to go see this spectacle of flowers and butterflies again, and I recommend the same for anyone looking for a fill of color before the leaves turn brown and the flowers hide away until spring!

Emily Burnett, First Year Environmental Education Fellow