Plant of the Week: Cardinal Flower
posted
Written by: Engineering Conservation Crew
There are few native red flowering plants in Wisconsin. One of these is the stunning cardinal flower which occupies the new South Point facility biobasin planted by the Engineering Department this spring. The tubular shape of the flower is particularly tricky for insects to access. Thus, it relies on hummingbirds for pollination.
Many of you came out to help with the massive effort of installing the thousands of native perennials that went into this project. Since planting, our Engineering crew has been giving them plenty of water during this exceptionally dry season and making sure to remove troublesome weeds. Weeds are always plentiful early on in a planting but diminish over time with native competition and care. Also spotted blooming on site; rattlesnake master, marsh blazing star, Riddell’s goldenrod, spiderwort, sky blue aster. We expect an explosion of color and more visiting wildlife as the plants establish. A huge thank you to the OFS crew and all the engineers who helped!
Each week during the growing season, the Engineering Division focuses in on a Plant of the Week to raise awareness of different plants in the field that benefit our environment. The Engineering crews in the field tasked with conservation share expert insight on these plants and their benefits each week in a creative way!
