Verbena hastata

Thriving in wet prairies and open meadows, Blue Vervain is a biennial that can tolerate part shade but does best in full sun and wet conditions. Upright stems of this plant can grow up to five feet, but pinching off tops of plants before they bloom can encourage them to grow in a bushier, multi-stemmed habit. Bright blue-purple flowers appear on panicles in late summer through early fall, blooming only a few at a time, starting from the bottom of the flower spike moving up. Many pollinators visit this plant, including wasps, beetles, and bees for its sweet nectar. Blue Vervain is a host plant for Common Buckeye caterpillars. As pollinated flowers fall away, reddish brown nutlets appear on the spikes. Birds, including cardinals and sparrows, eat the seeds. Although each plant is short-lived, you can assure yourself that if you plant it once, you will have more, as it reseeds readily and spreads by rhizomes.