prairie wildflower

Plains coreopsis

Coreopsis tinctoria

Also known as Golden Tickseed, Goldenwave, Calliopsis

Native to the Great Plains, the Rockies, and the Midwest and southern Canada

Plains of central U.S.; naturalized elsewhere.

Light Full sun to part shade Sun tolerance
Moisture Moist Moisture preference
Zones 3–10 Cold to heat range
Bloom Mar–Nov Flowering time
Height up to 5 ft to 1.5 m
Life cycle Annual, Biennial, or perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A prairie wildflower for full sun to part shade and evenly moist soil. Its yellow and brown flowers peak in June. At up to 5 ft, it needs room in 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 Plains coreopsis's yellow and brown flowers bloom March to November, peaking in June. This early-summer display draws bees and butterflies.

Plains coreopsis blooms yellow & brownFoliage

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Brown-belted Bumble Bee, Yellow-faced Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee +13 more
Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee, Perplexing Bumble Bee, Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Carpenter-mimic Leafcutter Bee, Poey's Furrow Bee, Dark-veined Longhorn Bee, Squash Longhorn-Cuckoo, Lasioglossum emirnense, Megachile albiscopa, Epimelissodes petulcus, Great Banded Furrow Bee, Exiled Longhorn, Sunflower Burrowing-Resin bee
Butterflies Red Admiral

also Pearl Crescent, Checkered White, Horace's Duskywing +9 more
Dainty Sulphur, Acmon Blue, Reakirt's Blue, Little Glassywing, Gorgone Checkerspot, Garita Skipperling, Euphydryas phaeton, Oak Hairstreak, Silvery Checkerspot
Moths Green Cloverworm Moth

also Large Yellow Underwing, Yellow-collared Scape Moth, Changeable Grass-veneer +7 more
Soybean Looper Moth, Smith's Dart, Inornate Pyrausta Moth, Checkered Apogeshna Moth, Wavy-lined Fan-foot, Agriphila ruricolella, Ithaca Clearwing Moth
Also visited by
- Flower flies:
  
  Margined Calligrapher, Eastern Calligrapher +7 more
  Common Drone Fly, Transverse-banded Flower Fly, Oblique Streaktail, Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly, Northern Plushback, Common Grass Skimmer, Copestylum marginatum
- Beetles: Redbud Seed Weevil, Cryptocephalus cribripennis
- Wasps: Red-marked Pachodynerus Wasp, Hidalgo Mason Wasp

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 Great Plains, the Rockies, and the Midwest and southern CanadaUnited States (15): AR, CO, IA, KS, LA, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, OK, SD, TX, WY. Canada (3): AB, MB, SK. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Plains of central U.S.; naturalized elsewhere.The 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 part shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 3–10 · Canadian 3–8The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Prefers moist, sandy 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: 5.2–7.8The 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: HighHow 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: MediumHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.

Growth & form

Height: up to 5 ft (to 1.5 m)Typical mature height.
Spread: ~1 ft (0.2 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
Life cycle: Annual, biennial, or perennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: RapidA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Shape: ErectIts overall silhouette.
Root depth: 8+ in (20+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Mar–NovWhen it flowers.
Flower color: Yellow, BrownThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: Achene; ripens Apr–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: SeedHow to start new plants.
Seed: ~3 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.