Purple coneflowers are robust perennials which are native to the midwestern prairies of the United States. The three- to four-inch wide flowers are arranged individually on long stems and surround an iridescent red-orange, cone-shaped center. I occasionally see white coneflowers, but rarely see them mixed together in one patch.
Coneflowers typically begin to bloom in July and are long bloomers, they often in flower for a month or more. When I see the coneflowers, I am always startled by the bright orange cones. They look like glowing cones, especially as seen on the purple-petaled flowers.
The generic name for the coneflower is Echinacea from the Greek word echinos which means hedgehog. It refers to the spiky appearance and feel of the flower heads.
I photographed these coneflowers at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. After a steady, early morning rainfall, the flowers were in prime condition for some morning portraits. What a fun morning!
White and Pink, Black and White, we all need to live on this earth together
Nicely said!
Hedgehog – how about that. Makes sense when you take that closer look. I like the diagonal in the photo.
I’m quite taken with the cone being named after the hedgehog. Makes me love this special flower even more!
Very beautiful photo Bo!
Thank you, Montucky. Don’t suppose you have coneflowers in the mountains of Montana?