Oenothera pilosella Prairie Sundrops

Ohio Native Plant Natural Range

Visit the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service website to view the natural range of Oenothera pilosella .

Small Bright yellow flowers with four petals that do look like little drops of sunshine.
Prairie Sundrops, little "drops of sunshine".
The back view of Oenothera pilosella flowers on the left are four seedpods forming that look like a child's finger.
Don't Oenothera pilosella seedpods look like tiny little fingers


Cultivation Information Prairie Sundrops


Height - 2 ftFlower Color - YellowBlooms - May - June - day blooming Primrose speciesSun - Full to part sunHardy Zone - 3 to 8Soil - Moist to dry Family - Evening Primrose family (Onagraceae)
One yellow perennial sunflower with an orange center, the leaves are fuzzy.
Meadow Evening Primrose creates a dense groundcover

Wildlife Significance Prairie Sundrops

Pollinated by - Long-tongued bees, butterflies, and skippers. Moth pollinated - Particularly, Sphinx moths
Visited by - Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, honeybees and bumblebeesFor more details visit the Illionis Wildflower website
Close up of Prairie Sundrops leaf structure.
Study the leaves, learn the plant!
Propagation Notes Prairie Sundrops
Stratification - Resources state - seed does not require pretreatment. However, I have had better success stratifying seed for 30 days.
Seed Provenance Oenothera pilosella
Nodding Onion Gardens 2021 - Native BeeGinnings, PA 2020