Quick facts
- Native wildflower
- Attractive to pollinators and birds
- Drought tolerant
Gaillardia artistata
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One of our favorites for difficult spots, these hardy flowers do excellent in poorer soil and roadside plantings. This native perennial flower is very attractive to bees and other beneficial insects and is found in most of the Western United States, great lakes region, New England, and upper great plains. Firey flowers are a great addition to xeriscaping, low-water/no-water gardens and borders. Flowers early in mid-June and will do so until frost, especially of dead-headed. Leaves fuzzy. A bit of its story: The plant genus Gaillardia was dedicated in 1788 in honor of the early French botanist Gaillard de Charentonneau. The plant species Aristata means "bearing bristles" in botanical Latin, in reference to the rough hairy leaves and stems. The cryptic blanketflower moth, Schinia masoni evolved with Gaillardia artistata and bears color patterns allowing it to blend in with the flower heads and remain unseen during the day. The head and thorax of the moth blend in with the yellow center of the flower, while the wings are red to blend with the petals. The wing tips are yellow, just as the petals are yellow at the tips. The blanketflower moth is found in Colorado and Wyoming. Check out more about the Blanketflower moth here. How to grow it:
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