Silky Prairie Clover

Silky Prairie clover grows in open sandy soils in the central United States from Texas and New Mexico to Minnesota and Montana. Flowering from June-August, its purple flowers are utilized by many nectar seeking bees and butterflies. The leaves, which are smaller and more numerous than those of Purple Prairie Clover, are covered in fine hairs that give the leaves a gray appearance. This perennial ranges in eight from 1-2 feet and prefers to grow in sunny locations. As with the other prairie clovers, this legume has the ability to fixate nitrogen in the soils, allowing it to occupy soils of poorer fertility. Silky Prairie Clover is very similar to lead plant in both growth form and appearance, although lead plant blooms slightly earlier in the year.