One of the best butterfly host plants in the Northwest! This showy hollyhock-like plant is impressive looking enough to put any ornamental cultivated garden plant to shame. White to pink flowers climb 4 to 6 foot tall stems from late spring to mid summer. Despite being easy to grow and adaptable to most sunny locations this gorgeous meadow plant is now sadly rare. Beyond a few remnant roadside populations in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, this plant is now largely extinct in the wild. Meadow checkermallow is a likely caterpillar host plant for many butterflies, including the American lady (Vanessa virginiensis), West Coast lady (V. annabella), painted lady (V. cardui), checkered skipper (Pyrgus communis), gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and it is the primary pollen source for a rare native bee species, Diadasia nigrifrons. Approximately 50 seeds (0.4 grams).
