prairie wildflower

Lance-leaved Coreopsis

Coreopsis lanceolata

Also known as Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Lanceleaf Tickseed, Sand Coreopsis

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

Florida to eastern Texas and northern New Mexico, north to Virginia, Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri and Colorado; naturalized in northeastern states

Light Full sun to shade Sun tolerance
Moisture Dry Moisture preference
Zones 3–10 Cold to heat range
Bloom Apr–Aug Flowering time
Height up to 2 ft to 0.6 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A prairie wildflower for sun through shade and lean, dry soil. Its yellow flowers peak in June. At up to 2 ft, it suits meadows and sunny borders. Hardy in USDA zones 3–10.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

When it blooms

The Lance-leaved Coreopsis's yellow flowers bloom April to August, peaking in June. This early-summer display draws bees and butterflies.

Lance-leaved Coreopsis blooms yellowFoliage

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Eastern Carpenter Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee +187 more
Two-spotted Bumble Bee, Yellow-faced Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee, Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee, Pure Green Sweat bee, Red-belted Bumble Bee, Two-spotted Longhorn Bee, Perplexing Bumble Bee, European Woolcarder Bee, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee, Carpenter-mimic Leafcutter Bee, Flat-tailed Leafcutter Bee, Poey's Furrow Bee, Oblong Woolcarder Bee, Golden Sweat Bee, Rusty-patched Bumble Bee, Confusing Furrow Bee, Spurred Ceratina, Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee, Yellowish Cuckoo Bumble bee, Pugnacious Leafcutter Bee, Silky Striped Sweat Bee, Unarmed Leafcutter Bee, Nomada vegana, Louisiana Painted-Dark bee, Curved Pebble Bee, Slender-faced Masked Bee, Rugose-chested Sweat Bee, Eastern Miner Bee, Sunflower Mining Bee, Patchwork Leafcutter Bee, Petulant Leafcutter Bee, Say's Cuckoo Leafcutter Bee, Calliopsis Cuckoo Nomad Bee, Punctate Masked Bee, Fervid Nomad Bee, Allegheny Mining Bee, Annulate Masked Bee, Ceratina dupla, Hairy masked Bee, Lasioglossum nitidiusculum, Golden-tailed Woodborer, Osmia conjuncta, Andrena helianthiformis, Little Masked Bee, Big-cheeked Angled-Mason, Augochlora pura mosieri, Interrupted Cellophane-cuckoo Bee, Common Masked Bee, Large-headed Armoured-Resin bee, Nomada bifasciata, Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, Robust Small-Mason, Black Masked Bee, Large Masked Bee, Spined Mason Bee, Golden Furrow Bee, Fiery-tailed Bumble Bee, Linsenmaier's Nomad, Lasioglossum sabulosum, Lasioglossum pleurospeculum, Lasioglossum podolicum, Lasioglossum laevidorsum, Lasioglossum subfulvicorne, Hylaeus glacialis, Hylaeus pfankuchi, Snowy Masked Bee, Lasioglossum tarsatum, Hylaeus moricei, Nomada pleurosticta, Andrena amieti, Lasioglossum euboeense, Lasioglossum lissonotum, Lasioglossum alpigenum, Halictus carinthiacus, Hylaeus pilosulus, Heriades crenulatus, Translucent Miner, Lasioglossum laeve, Hylaeus bifasciatus, Femoral Nomad, Lasioglossum sp.1, Leavitt's Armored-Resin bee, Grey-banded Mining Bee, Buff-tailed Mining Bee, Lasioglossum aeratum, Lasioglossum subfasciatum, Colletes mlokossewiczi, Hylaeus duckei, Hylaeus euryscapus, Small-headed Resin Bee, Hylaeus crassanus, Hylaeus alpinus, Eucera nigrifacies, Megachile genalis, Nomada facilis, Hylaeus gibbus, Osmia labialis, Megachile flabellipes, White-lipped Yellow-face Bee, Panurgus dentipes, Lasioglossum bluethgeni, Hylaeus sinuatus, Small Shiny Furrow Bee, Lasioglossum marginellum, Halictus leucaheneus, Chalk Yellow-face Bee, Lasioglossum majus, Hylaeus tyrolensis, Dotted Masked Bee, Osmia scutellaris, Narrowed Masked Bee, Forest Masked Bee, Shiny Dufourea, Polished Miner, Orange-vented Mason Bee, Broad-banded Nomad Bee, Nomada integra, Hylaeus taeniolatus, Onion Yellow-face Bee, Large Shaggy Bee, Hylaeus imparilis, Georgia Mason Bee, Fringed Furrow Bee, Short-horned Yellow-face Bee, Andrena taraxaci, Small Shaggy Bee, Horned Masked Bee, Variegated Masked Bee, Hylaeus paulus, Halictus seladonius, Andrena rhenana, Gredler's Masked Bee, White-jawed Yellow-face Bee, Lasioglossum lineare, Lasioglossum minutulum, Nimble Ceratina, Hylaeus difformis, Ridge-gastered Furrow Bee, Common Pantaloon Bee, Andrena sayi, Lasioglossum marginatum, Lasioglossum albocinctum, Hylaeus kahri, Nomada distinguenda, Lasioglossum nigripes, Lasioglossum discum, Megachile melanopyga, Davies' Cellophane Bee, Hylaeus styriacus, Andrena livens, Bare-saddled Cellophane Bee, Hairy-saddled Cellophane Bee, Squat Furrow Bee, Lasioglossum subhirtum, Reed Yellow-face Bee, Great Banded Furrow Bee, Lasioglossum tegulare, Osmia mustelina, Pseudapis diversipes, Augochlorella persimilis, Osmia rufohirta, Lasioglossum lucidulum, Andrena beameri, Hesperian Miner, Pseudopanurgus albitarsis, Andrena nigroolivacea, Pseudopanurgus solidaginis, Lasioglossum interruptum, Megachile frugalis, Snowy Mason, Anthidiellum notatum notatum, Ruddy Nomad Bee, Melissodes subillatus, Coelioxys pergandei, Ptilothrix bombiformis, Pseudoanthidium nanum, Sunflower Burrowing-Resin bee, California Digger-cuckoo Bee, Megachile pugnata pugnata, Two-banded Cellophane-cuckoo Bee, Crenulate Armoured-Resin bee, Bombus sp., Four-banded Nomia
Butterflies Monarch

also Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Red Admiral, Black Swallowtail +56 more
Pearl Crescent, Common Buckeye, Fiery Skipper, Painted Lady, Gray Hairstreak, American Lady, Orange Sulphur, Great Spangled Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Clouded Sulphur, Eastern Black Swallowtail, Peck's Skipper, Common Ringlet, Clouded Skipper, Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, Phaon Crescent, Variable Checkerspot, Hobomok Skipper, Western Pygmy-Blue, Funereal Duskywing, West Coast Lady, American Copper, Banded Hairstreak, Milbert's Tortoiseshell, Little Glassywing, Southern Skipperling, Bronze Copper, Old World Swallowtail, Tropical Fritillary, Small Copper, Speyeria cybele, Elkalyce comyntas, Silvery Checkerspot, Satyrium prunoides, Limenitis doerriesi, Pallas's Fritillary, Chinese Bushbrown, Reverdin's Blue, Fabriciana adippe vorax, Lobocla bifasciata, Asian Green-veined White, Fischer's Blue, Boloria perryi, Nymphalis c-aureum, Dryad, Common Five-ring, Colias poliographus, Chinese Yellow Swallowtail, Pea Blue, Papilio cresphontes, Incisalia niphon, Tawny Coster, Argyronome ruslana, Damora sagana, Stubbendorf's Apollo, Limenitis arthemis arthemis
Flower flies Margined Calligrapher

also Eastern Calligrapher, Common Drone Fly, Transverse-banded Flower Fly +23 more
Oblique Streaktail, Long-tailed Aphideater, Narrow-headed Marsh Fly, Thick-legged Hover Fly, Eurasian Drone Fly, Black-shouldered Drone Fly, The Merodon equestris Group, Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly, Common Lagoon Fly, Orange-legged Drone Fly, Wavy Mucksucker, Striped Bromeliad Fly, Toxophora amphitea, Marmalade Hover Fly, Geron vitripennis, Hemipenthes sinuosus, Dolichogyna abrupta, Austroscaeva occidentalis, Bombylius mexicanus, Phytomia zonata, Asemosyrphus polygrammus, Bare-winged Aphideater, Florida Calligrapher
Also visited by
- Beetles:
  
  Spotted Cucumber Beetle, Goldenrod Soldier Beetle +14 more
  Margined Leatherwing Beetle, Oriental Beetle, Fourteen-spotted Lady Beetle, Coreopsis Beetle, Bee-like Flower Scarab, Aneflus protensus, Propylaea quatuordecimpunctata, Agapanthia amurensis, Acmaeodera neglecta, Black Flower Chafer, Mordellistena cervicalis, Flat-headed Baldcypress Sapwood Beetle, Blue Flower Chafer, Sutured Longhorn Beetle
- Moths:
  
  Snowberry Clearwing, Virginia Ctenucha Moth +10 more
  Yellow-collared Scape Moth, Wavy-lined and Southern Emeralds, Eight-spotted Forester Moth, Yellow-spotted Webworm Moth, White-striped Black, Black-and-yellow Lichen Moth, Mimeusemia persimilis, Amoebotricha grataria, Ctenoplusia albostriata, Common Looper Moth
- Wasps:
  
  Four-toothed Mason Wasp, Euodynerus pratensis +5 more
  European tube wasp, Euodynerus hidalgo boreoorientalis, Ancistrocerus campestris, Vespula vidua, Hidalgo Mason Wasp
- Birds: Spinus psaltria

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: PrairieThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (27): AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NM, OH, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV. Canada (1): ON. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Florida to eastern Texas and northern New Mexico, north to Virginia, Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri and Colorado; naturalized in northeastern statesThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Full sun to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: DryThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 3–10 · Canadian 3–8The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Sandy, gravelly soils. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Acid-based, CalcareousThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil pH: 6.0–7.0The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Soil quality: MediumHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
Water use: MediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
Salinity tolerance: NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: NoneHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.

Growth & form

Height: up to 2 ft (to 0.6 m)Typical mature height.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Shape: ErectIts overall silhouette.
Root depth: 6+ in (15+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Apr–AugWhen it flowers.
Flower color: YellowThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: Achene; ripens Jan–OctThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.

Propagation & seed

Cold stratification: Not requiredWhether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
Propagation: Container, seedHow to start new plants.
Seed: ~0.2 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
Seed spread rate: ModerateHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
Seedling vigor: HighHow strongly young seedlings establish.
Vegetative spread: NoneWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.