What are the Purple Flowers Covering Missouri & Illinois Fields?

Have you been seeing these beautiful purple flowers that seem to be popping up in fields all over Missouri and Illinois? They are everywhere it seems, but are the beautiful flowers or just weeds?

They seem to be popping up also just in farming fields, so what are they? Well according to the Missouri Department of Conservation, those purple flowers are called HENBIT.

What is Henbit?

Well, it's not a beautiful purple flower. Sorry. It's a weed plant that blooms in early spring. The flowers are small and bright purple which is why they stand out so much in large fields.

Get our free mobile app

A Warning for Allergy Suffers

If you struggle with spring allergies or allergies of any sort don't pick these. Henbiti is known for having pollen and nectar which we all know attracts bees. So besides sneezing consistently, you might attract bees to your home or outdoor plants.

These flowers won't last long for two reasons. One they only bloom in March and April, and two the planting season is coming farmers will be out tilling their fields soon and all of the flowers will be gone, but they are beautiful to look at. And if you can make it without sneezing and coughing taking pictures with these bright colored purple flowers while they last will make one beautiful photo.