This Simple Blue-Purple Flower Might Be the Secret to Attracting More Birds to Your Garden

In the 19th century, a Scottish doctor named Jonathan Stokes was exploring the Southeastern United States to seek treatments for heart patients when he caught a glimpse of a bewitching wildflower that took his breath away, per Microscopy UK. It was a disk-shaped flower with spiny, feather-like petals that shot outwards like sunrays in hues of lavender, blues, and purples. Dozens of strappy star-like threads burst from the center and concentrated into the basal rosette, the creamy-colored pistil, which carried a subtle pinkish tinge like that of a sunset sky.

The flower was named “Stokes aster” or “Stokesia” after Dr. Stokes’ name. Fast forward to today, homeowners around the world plant this flower in their gardens to attract lush flocks of birds and feathery critters. Nicknamed “Blue Star” and “Bluestone,” the flower is known to woo and attract the birds with its surreal periwinkle palette of colors and bounty of sweet nectar cupped and churning within its clustery head, as experts at House Digest explain.

These days, it is typically observed in places like pitcherplant bogs, riparian wetlands, moist pinelands, wet woodlands, bottomlands, coastal areas, and even in house gardens. In homes, the flower usually blooms through summertime till autumn, according to the North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. At night, the flower softly closes its petals, and with the rising of the morning Sun, it reopens to receive various pollinating guests who are easily seduced by its enchanting fragrance and intoxicating nectar. The water-loving flower is a treat that can help gardeners lure several kinds of birds and pollinators into their garden, including songbirds, bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds.

One bird-keeper wrote in Birds & Blooms that while watching birds on the camera, they noticed one hummingbird spend about five minutes visiting this flower one morning. Although Stokesia is infamous among botanists and flowering experts for its self-pollination abilities, a mix of self-pollination and cross-pollination allows the flower to have genetic diversity. Greg App notes that the remarkable ability of self-pollination comes from its central floret structure. Since the stamens and pistils are positioned so closely, they allow easy transfer of pollen within the same flower, hence achieving reproductive success. But the addition of birds and external pollinators creates new genetic combinations in the flowers' bodies, which can support them in long-term survival.

Growing these blue-purple flowers in the garden is easy. An expert at House Digest explains that being native to the southernmost parts of American geography, these flowers are well adapted to different weather conditions. Although they prefer moist and wet environments, they are hardy enough to tolerate a massive drought or accept the partial shade of the Sun in the southern regions. One of the best lines of defense for gardeners is to check whether their soil can maintain a correct water balance before planting stokesias. If the soil isn’t fertile or mature enough, adding compost or mulch is a great idea to make it perfect for the budding blooms. Plus, they provide an added protection to the plants against heavy stress.