Yellow Star Grass (Hypoxis hirsuta)
Yellow Star Grass is an adorable, early blooming plant whose flowers attract small native bees primarily, Little Carpenter bees, Mason bees, and Halictid bees (Illinoiswildflower.info). While there is no nectar reward, the female insects can collect pollen. Yellow Star Grass is not a grass, but it is in the lily family and if you are lucky, this dainty spring-blooming plant will do some self-seeding, possibly creating some non-aggressive colonies. Ultimately, there is little information available regarding this plant's relationships to other fauna.
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
Yellow Star Grass is an adorable, early blooming plant whose flowers attract small native bees primarily, Little Carpenter bees, Mason bees, and Halictid bees (Illinoiswildflower.info). While there is no nectar reward, the female insects can collect pollen. Yellow Star Grass is not a grass, but it is in the lily family and if you are lucky, this dainty spring-blooming plant will do some self-seeding, possibly creating some non-aggressive colonies. Ultimately, there is little information available regarding this plant's relationships to other fauna.
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
Yellow Star Grass is an adorable, early blooming plant whose flowers attract small native bees primarily, Little Carpenter bees, Mason bees, and Halictid bees (Illinoiswildflower.info). While there is no nectar reward, the female insects can collect pollen. Yellow Star Grass is not a grass, but it is in the lily family and if you are lucky, this dainty spring-blooming plant will do some self-seeding, possibly creating some non-aggressive colonies. Ultimately, there is little information available regarding this plant's relationships to other fauna.
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
Life Cycle: Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial sun
Soil Moisture: Medium-wet, Medium, Medium-dry
Height: 6-8 inches
Plant Spacing:
Bloom Time: Mid-spring-Early Summer
Bloom Color: Yellow
Advantages: Great landscaping plant
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
