What are the Purple Flowers in Indiana & Kentucky Fields and Why Are They So Vibrant This Year?

Every week, I drive from my home in Evansville to our Owensboro office. Every week, I am more in awe of how beautiful the fields of purple flowers get brighter and bolder. They are gorgeous and I want to stop and take a picture. I think they are so pretty, that I've coordinated a photoshoot for my daughter and her horse to take some photos in the field surrounded by the violet blooms.

What are the Purple Flowers in Fields Across Indiana and Kentucky?

According to an article from WKU Public Radio, the flowers are purple deadnettle and henbit - two common spring weeds. They are members of the mint family and if you know anything about mint, it's IMPOSSIBLE to get rid of. They grow in soil that's been disturbed (like a field) and die out in late spring/early summer. The good thing about these flowers - besides their radiant beauty in large groups - is that pollinators LOVE them.

"The flowers of henbit provide a pollen and nectar source for long tongued bees such as honey bees and bumble bees in March and April. The nectar of purple deadnettle is attractive to bumble bees, honey bees and digger bees." - Michigan State University

READ MORE: SECRET HACK TO GETTING A CAMPING SITE AT A BOOKED UP CAMPGROUND

Why are There So Many Purple Field Flowers in 2024?

The article from WKU was dated 2017 and it stated that the reason why there were so many purple flowers that year was because we had an unusually warm winter. Hmm sound familiar?

Climate.gov ranked the 2023–24 winter season the warmest on record for the contiguous U.S. and February 2024 was the third-warmest February on record for the nation.

The article goes on to state that climate change could be a factor in why our winters are warmer and why the purple flower fields are becoming more common. So, they are pretty but not a great sign.

READ MORE: FREE WILDFLOWER AND BIRD HIKES AT MAMMOTH CAVE

KEEP READING: