Culver's root in full bloom

Despite the prolonged drought, some prairie plants are doing very well and seem to be flourishing. For instance, Culver's root (Veronicastrum virginicum).

This is a species that grows well in savannas and wet-mesic prairies. However, this year the drought has suppressed it in our savannas, but it is doing better than ever in the wet-mesic prairies.

Although reasonably common (it has a C value of 6), we seem to have hit the right conditions in the Valley Prairie, as the photo shows. The soil in this prairie ranges from dry to dry mesic at one side to wet mesic and almost wet at the other side. It is near the wet end that Culver's root is flourishing, growing in a relatively narrow strip.