Prairie Larkspur

Did you know

• All parts of larkspur are highly toxic to cattle, causing more livestock deaths in the western US than any other poisonous plant.
• The name 'delphinium' comes from the Greek word for dolphin, as the flower bud was thought to resemble a leaping dolphin.
• The distinctive spur at the back of each flower holds nectar accessible only to long-tongued pollinators like bumblebees and sphinx moths.
• Native Americans used the crushed seeds mixed with water as an insecticide to treat head lice.
• Prairie larkspur goes dormant by midsummer, disappearing entirely underground and leaving no trace until the following spring.

Color meanings

Uses

• native plant gardens
• prairie restoration
• cut flowers
• traditional insecticide