Exploring the Ekalaka countryside on MontanaPictures.Net  (Page four of thirteen)

70307 The "Purple Cone Flower" is fast becoming		(Click on the pictures to see a larger image.)
a favorite Montana wildflower of ours.
We found isolated pockets of "Purple Cone Flower"
from Wibaux to Alzada, Montana.
The "Purple Cone Flowers" or Echinacea are closely related
to Rudbeckia (which include the "Black-eyed Susan").
There are seven to nine species, with two species listed so
far on the Federal endangered species list.
The rhizome of the Echinacea angustifolia  plant
(pictured above)  was used by
Native Americans, perhaps more
than most other plants, for various herbal remedies.
The "Purple Cone Flowers"
are popular with the butterflies too!