Today’s post features a “life” wildflower that I found while hiking the prairies of Prairie State Park (southwest Missouri) a couple of weeks ago. Here is the gem I came across:
And a close-up image of the flower:
Upon returning home, I consulted several online and hardcopy guides and found this to be a Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia), which is in the Primrose Family. It grows in prairies of eastern, central and southern Missouri. The plant can sometimes be found in woods, but will not flower well in shaded areas. Flower colors can be either pink or white … I only found white flowered Shooting Stars on the prairie. The plant can grow up to ~2 feet tall. I was impressed with this wildflower and hope to see many more on my prairie hikes!
