Prairie Sunflower is a slender annual native to the Great Plains and western United States, growing 2–5 feet tall in sandy and dry soils. Its flowers are smaller than Common Sunflower but equally cheerful, with yellow ray petals surrounding a dark reddish-brown central disk. It is well adapted to drought and disturbance, often colonizing sandy roadsides and dunes. Prairie Sunflower has been used in breeding programs to improve cultivated sunflower varieties.
Habitat
Found on sandy plains, dry roadsides, disturbed areas, and open prairies throughout the Great Plains and West.
Diet
Seeds eaten by sparrows, finches, and doves; flowers provide pollen for native bees and beetles.
How common
Common
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