prairie wildflower

Moss Campion

Silene acaulis

Also known as Cushion Pink

Native to the Southwest, the Rockies, and the Pacific Coast and southern Canada

Circumpolar (var. exscapa), southern in northern America to Oregon, Idaho, northern Montana and New Hampshire; extending southern in the Rockies to New Mexico and Arizona as var. subacaulescens

Light Full sun Sun tolerance
Moisture Moisture preference
Zones 1–8 Cold to heat range
Bloom Jun–Aug Flowering time
Height up to 6 in to 15 cm
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A prairie wildflower for full sun. At up to 6 in, it tucks into meadows and sunny borders. Hardy in USDA zones 1–8.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

Pollinators & wildlife

Butterflies Painted Lady

also Northern Grizzled Skipper, Hecla Sulphur, Astarte Fritillary +14 more
Dewy Ringlet, Clossiana chariclea, Arctic Blue, Green-veined White, Common Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Clossiana improba, Occidryas anicia eurytion, Plebejus glandon, European Peacock Butterfly, Magdalena Alpine, Hypodryas cynthia, Occidryas editha, Chlosyne palla whitneyi
Bees Fuzzy-Horned Bumble Bee

also Forest Bumble Bee, Golden-belted Bumble Bee, Heath Bumble Bee +11 more
Red Mason Bee, Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, Red-tailed Bumble Bee, Lasioglossum sabulosum, Deceptive Bumble Bee, Small Shiny Furrow Bee, Bombus wurflenii, Mountain Bumble Bee, Broken-belted Bumble Bee, Bombus hyperboreus, Garden Bumble Bee
Flower flies Holarctic Bristleside

also Bombylius cinerascens, Bombylius medius, Lundbeck's Sedgesitter +1 more
Pearly Sedgesitter
Also visited by
- Moths:
  
  Dwarf Willow Looper, Spruce Carpet +4 more
  Sympistis zetterstedtii, Sympistis lapponica, Alpine Arches, Coenotephria salicata
- Beetles: Asian Lady Beetle

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: The Southwest, the Rockies, and the Pacific Coast and southern CanadaUnited States (13): AK, AZ, CO, ID, ME, MT, NH, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY. Canada (1): NS. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Circumpolar (var. exscapa), southern in northern America to Oregon, Idaho, northern Montana and New Hampshire; extending southern in the Rockies to New Mexico and Arizona as var. subacaulescensThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Full sunHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Hardiness zones: USDA 1–8 · Canadian 0–8The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Rich, scree soilThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to medium (sandy to loamy)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: Mildly acid to mildly alkalineThe acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).

Growth & form

Height: up to 6 in (to 15 cm)Typical mature height.
Spread: ~1 ft (0.2 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Jun–AugWhen it flowers.
Flower color: Pink, PurpleThe bloom color, or colors.
Toxicity: None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.