We’ve got wildflowers – lots of them – right now. Look for them primarily in our meadows and prairies, which are alive with blooms of white, purple, and yellow, typically atop tall spikes that sway in the summer breeze.
Among them are some rarities, including one that is particularly fascinating.
Rattlesnake-master, shown here in the tallgrass prairie at Secor Metropark, is unusual both in appearance and in history. Don’t be confused by its yucca-like, sword-shaped leaves and round spiked flower heads, this plant is a member of the carrot family. Those flower heads are particularly attractive to pollinators, drawing in a variety of insects including bees, wasps, and butterflies.
Its unusual name speaks to its use by some Native Americans and in folk medicine to treat venomous snake bites, though modern medicine does not consider it to be effective.
Rattlesnake-master is considered to be potentially threatened in Ohio by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
