Prairies are starting their annual cycle of ever-changing blooms. Prairie smoke, puccoon and bird's-foot violet can be found now. Prairie smoke sends up short stalks that have nodding, deep mauve flowers. The long-plumed seeds that come later have given this plant its name. The seed heads appear, from a distance, to be a puff of smoke near the ground.
Puccoons have clusters of small trumpet-shaped flowers on an uncurling spray.
The root of this plant was used as a dye. Birds-foot violet is a violet that is native to prairies. Instead of the traditional heart-shaped leaf, the leaf is cut into narrow lobes, like a bird's foot. Please sign our guest book and let us know how we can improve our page content for you. Please contact our webmaster with technical comments or questions.