Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
Yellow Coneflower aka Gray-Headed Coneflower, attracts many kinds of bees! It is the host plant for the specialist bees Andrena rudbeckiae, Andrena runcinatae, Pseudopanurgus albitarsis, Melissodes agilis, M. boltoniae, M. coreopsis, M. illatus, M. trinodis, M. wheeleri, Svastra petulca, Colletes rufocinctus (Holm, 2014) (Johnson and Colla, 2023)(Holm, 2014). It is also highly rated for attracting beneficial Insects (predators and parasitoids) (Holm, 2014).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
Yellow Coneflower aka Gray-Headed Coneflower, attracts many kinds of bees! It is the host plant for the specialist bees Andrena rudbeckiae, Andrena runcinatae, Pseudopanurgus albitarsis, Melissodes agilis, M. boltoniae, M. coreopsis, M. illatus, M. trinodis, M. wheeleri, Svastra petulca, Colletes rufocinctus (Holm, 2014) (Johnson and Colla, 2023)(Holm, 2014). It is also highly rated for attracting beneficial Insects (predators and parasitoids) (Holm, 2014).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
Yellow Coneflower aka Gray-Headed Coneflower, attracts many kinds of bees! It is the host plant for the specialist bees Andrena rudbeckiae, Andrena runcinatae, Pseudopanurgus albitarsis, Melissodes agilis, M. boltoniae, M. coreopsis, M. illatus, M. trinodis, M. wheeleri, Svastra petulca, Colletes rufocinctus (Holm, 2014) (Johnson and Colla, 2023)(Holm, 2014). It is also highly rated for attracting beneficial Insects (predators and parasitoids) (Holm, 2014).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
Life Cycle: Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial sun
Soil Moisture: Medium, Medium-Dry
Height: 5 feet
Plant Spacing: 1.5-2 feet
Bloom Time: July-September
Bloom Color: Yellow
Advantages: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Deer Resistant, Great Landscape Plant
Host Plant: 1-2 butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org)(Holm, 2014)
Specialist Bee: Andrena rudbeckiae, Andrena runcinatae, Pseudopanurgus albitarsis, Melissodes agilis, M. boltoniae, M. coreopsis, M. illatus, M. trinodis, M. wheeleri, Svastra petulca, Colletes rufocinctus (Holm, 2014) (Johnson and Colla, 2023)
Complementary Plants: Blazing star, False Sunflower, Bee Balm, Ironweed, Horsemint, Big Bluestem, Indian Grass
Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023
