#15A #8141 Compass blossom
A COMPASS PLANT blossom at the top of perhaps the tallest plant along the trail. It is a native prairie plant. Each bud will turn into a saucer-sized yellow flower. Naturalist Amy Andrews said, “One of the really cool things about compass plants is that they have massive leaves which help them compete with other plants. Compass Plant gets its name because the leaves are always pointed upward, oriented with the flat surfaces facing east and west to take advantage of morning sun.” When the sun is directly overhead, less of a leaf is exposed to hot sun to provide less water loss.