Foxglove Beardtongue - Penstemon digitalis

Penstemon digitalis, also known as Foxglove Beardtongue, is a perennial wildflower native to Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. A pretty plant with a funny name! Penstemon digitalis is not a true foxglove. It is not a Digitalis, but a Penstemon that has "digitalis-like" flowers.
 
Foxglove Beardtongue reaches 3 or 4 feet tall and flowers from late June to mid-July with an intricate white blossom. It does fine in sun to partial shade, medium to dry soil and will grow in clay, loam or sand, but it favors medium, loamy soil and full to part sun. Hummingbirds appreciate the tubular flowers, especially since they bloom at a time when many of their other favorites are scarce. Foxglove Beardtongue is mainly pollinated by long-tongued bees and it is abuzz in early July. It is also the host plant for a slightly boring brown moth (Elaphria chalcedonia) and possibly for Baltimore Checkerspot butterflies, according to Illinois Wildflowers.
 
Foxglove Beardtongue is a showy, easy-to-grow native that serves as a natural hummingbird feeder and works well in most plantings and pollinator gardens. It makes a nice backdrop for Butterfly Milkweed and makes a good successional planting with Hairy Beardtongue, Golden Ragwort, and Columbine.