Wildflower Wednesday

This week’s Wildflower Wednesday featured flower is Shooting Star 

Shooting Star is a native spring wildflower found in prairies and open woods. Its flowers can be white, purple or pink and usually bloom for a few weeks in May. The whole plant will go dormant and disappear by midsummer.

Its scientific name is Dodecatheon meadia. Dodecatheon means “twelve gods”. In Greece, it was believed that plants in this genius were under the care of the twelve Olympic gods. Its common name comes from the flowers that look like shooting stars. Other common names are Roosterheads and Prairie Pointers.

It has no known medical uses beyond a few rumors of uses as eye drops and as a gargle for canker sores.

Some believed that the flower’s points always pointed west and that early settlers used it to help with navigation as they moved west.

Its flower essence is said to draw in positive energy and connect heavenly energy to the earth.