A bumblebee foraging on a smooth coneflower.

Smooth coneflower (Echinacea laevigata) is a perennial herb that lives in open grasslands in VA, NC, SC and GA. It is not to be confused with its close relative and commercially available purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea. This plant flowers from May through July and develops fruits from late June to September. Pollinators for the smooth coneflower include various species of butterflies and bees. Seeds are probably dispersed by seed-eating birds or mammals and only appear to germinate on bare soil. NC State researchers found that smooth coneflower is dependent on insect pollinators for cross pollination and that bees were the most effective pollinators while skippers and butterflies forage frequently for its nectar. The genus Echinacea is a group of herbaceous flowering plants with nine species, known as coneflowers as a reference to their iconic high dome, or cone-shaped seed head. The protruding spike-like flowers that make-up the "cone" or seed head give the genus Echinacea its scientific name, from the Greek word echinos, which means spiny or prickly.
Photo by Dale Suiter, Endangered Species Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Eastern NC