Ratibida pinnata, also known as Grey Headed Coneflower, is a perennial wildflower native to Michigan and the UP.
This coneflower reaches 4 to 5 feet tall and flowers from July to September with a grey-centered yellow blossom. Grey Headed Coneflower prefers full sun to partial shade, medium to dry soil and will grow in muck, clay, loam or sand. This easy-to-grow native plant naturalizes well in open, sunny spaces. Try it in spots where the soil is poor and other plants are difficult to grow. For more visual impact, plant in groups of three or more. However, after the second or third year of growth, this plant reseeds with vigor into empty space. Plant a matrix layer of lower plants such as Prairie Dropseed and Pearly Everlasting to occupy the empty space if spread is undesirable. Grey Headed Coneflower pairs well with Purple Coneflower and Hoary Vervain, and it looks marvelous swaying in a summer breeze.
Native bees and butterflies are highly attracted to grey-headed coneflowers and use both the pollen and nectar. Some of the native bees that commonly use Grey-headed Coneflowers, according to Illinois Wildflowers, are sweat bees, bumble bees, long-horned bees, and leafcutter bees. Butterflies such as viceroys, monarchs, azures, sulphurs, crescents, and hairstreaks will visit, and Grey-headed Coneflowers host the caterpillars of the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly, as well as the Wavy-Lined Emerald moth and others. After the flowers go to seed, goldfinches and other songbirds will eat the seeds.
