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Look at those spiky blooms in the prairie, what kind of flower could that be?
Rattlesnake Master is blooming in the prairie, adding an odd-looking flower to the landscape.
Rattlesnake Master is a member of the parsley family and can grow up to six feet tall. It can be identified by its stiff, narrow, sharp-tipped, bluish-green leaves that resemble those of the yucca plants you can find out West. Its white flowers grow in ball-shaped umbels that are no more than one inch in diameter. While the flower heads appear sharp, they are actually quite soft.
Like many native plants, Rattlesnake Master has a long history of use in medicine by humans, particularly indigenous peoples. In fact, it was named ‘Rattlesnake Master’ because Native Americans long used its taproot to treat snake bites, curing many people from the deadly venom of rattlesnakes.
Visit us for a hike or take a walk around your neighborhood and look for this native perennial growing in prairie fields.
#PhenologyUpdate #RattlesnakeMaster #WIEnviroEd #NatureIsEverywhere #NatureIsforEveryone #EveryBodyOutside @ Aldo Leopold Nature Center
