Follow the Blazing-Star
The dense blazing star (Liatris spicata) is now blooming at the Jennings Environmental Education Center in Butler County. The stiff, cylindrical spike of flowers is heavily concentrated with rose-purple flowers. The blooms begin to open from the terminal end of the spike and slowly descend toward the base over a period of days. This meadow and prairie species prefers a moist, well-drained, fertile soil in full sun. One must be patient though, as it may take two to three years to become established from seed.
This
310-acre Environmental Education Center has 7 miles of self-guiding trails
and a relict prairie where the blazing-star blooms in profusion through
August. The nature center also offers a variety of environmental programs
and activities. This area was protected by WPC as an important biodiversity
area in the 1960s. It was then transferred to the care of the Bureau of
State Parks in the 1980s.
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