Prairie plants are adapted to spend all day in the sun without drying out. 

blazingstar blooming in the UW Arboretum Prairie
Big Bluestem with blue sky
Imagine grass reaching as high as 12 feet.
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Blazing Star in bloom
No, this is not something you'll find in the sky.
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Indian Grass, Photo Credit- Flora of Wisconsin, Aaron Carlson, CC BY-SA
This grass can grow taller than you, measuring 3 to 10 feet tall.
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Close up of leafy spurge
Leafy spurge is considered a noxious weed under Wisconsin law.
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Little bluestem plant
Look for bluestem in the winter with fuzzy white seeds which small birds love to feed on.
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Milkweed plant
Can you guess where the Milkweed plant got its name from?
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a small clump of pasqueflowers blooming in a prairie
The first prairie flower to bloom is the pasqueflower.
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Close up of Prairie Coneflower
This delicate yellow coneflower stands between 2 and 5 feet tall.
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Prairie Dock plant
Not to be mistaken for the sunflower or the compass plant.
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Prairie White-Fringed Orchid Close Up, Photo Credit: Joshua Mayer, CC-BY-SA 3.0
Before wet meadows and moist prairies were drained and tilled for agriculture, the prairie white-fringed orchid was more common.
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Purple Coneflower
The purple coneflower is a beautiful summer/fall bloomer.
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Shooting stars
Cranesbill, star shower, diamond-sparks—these are all names for this plant. Can you guess why?
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Sideouts Grama, Photo Credit: Drew Avery, CC-BY
This Wisconsin prairie grass can be found in high prairies in southern Wisconsin to the north.
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Knapweed close-up in field
Spotted knapweed secretes chemicals into the soil that kill surrounding plants.
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stalks of white-flowered wild white indigo growing in a prairie
Why would a beautiful white-flowering prairie plant have a name that is a shade of blue?
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Wild Parsnip in field
Scientific name: Pastinaca sativa
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