Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida)

Here’s looking at you, kid🐝❣️🥰🙏🏼#PhotoContest. Coneflowers, also known as echinacea, are one of America’s native wildflowers, beloved by butterflies, bees, and songbirds. Echinacea are tough perennials in the daisy family (Asteraceae) and hardy in Zones 3 to 9. They are native to the eastern and central United States, blooming in mid-summer and continue to flower sporadically until frost. The genus is named after the Greek word for hedgehog, echinos, because of its cone-like center, which attracts butterflies and bees. Leave the seed heads after bloom, and you’ll also attract songbirds such as goldfinches!