Lyreleaf Sage (Salvia lyrata)

Lyreleaf Sage is an attractive perennial found naturally along woodland edges, in open areas and in disturbed sites. It typically flowers in late winter through late spring. Bees are its predominant pollinator, but it also attracts butterflies and occasionally, hummingbirds.

Lyreleaf sage produces leafless spikes of lavender to bluish tubular flowers. Like other members of the mint family, its flowers are two-lipped and its stem is square. The leaves, which appear as basal rosettes, are lyre-shaped (hence the common name) with irregular margins and purplish-red to brownish patches along their midribs. This distinct marking makes the plant easy to identify, even when it is not flowering.