Yesterday I photographed one of my favorite prairie flowers, partridge pea, Cassia fasciculata.
It’s a quirky little plant–an annual where most successful plants are perennial. It has extrafloral nectaries that attract ants and all manner of other insects. Its flowers are mostly ignored, except by bumblebees.
The bees only seem to visit at certain times of the day, but when they are present they are usually there in large numbers.
And of course, the little yellow butterfly can usually be found nearby. Partridge pea seems to be the preferred host plant for the butterfly around here.
