This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act! Join us as we highlight species throughout the year that have benefited from this landmark legislation.

Smooth Coneflowers are native wildflowers that provide many benefits to the ecosystem such as a source of nectar for pollinators like native bees and dried seed heads that provide food for birds in the winter. This once endangered plant was reclassified to threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in July of 2022, thanks to conservation efforts like regular population monitoring and research, the implementation of management techniques on protected lands, and the reduction of threats to their populations. Not to be confused with the commercially available purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea. Not only is the stem smooth and hairless, but its flower petals are narrower and droop down further than its close relative.