Showy Tick Trefoil is a tall native legume of prairie edges and open woods producing dense, showy spikes of pink-purple flowers in summer. Its sticky seed pods cling to clothing and fur, dispersing seeds effectively. It fixes nitrogen and is a larval host plant for several hairstreak and skipper butterfly species.
Habitat
Prairie edges, open woods, and forest margins across eastern North America
Diet
Larval host for hairstreak and skipper butterflies; nectar for bumblebees
How common
Common
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