Mexican Hat

The Mexican hat or prairie coneflower features a long cylindrical flower head of disk florets, surrounded by yellow or yellow/red-brown drooping rays.  Flower heads are reminiscent of the traditional broad brimmed hat worn during Mexican fiestas.

This wildflower is native to the Great Plains in the U.S.  My photos are taken at a restored prairie area in Illinois, and the wildflower seed mix used in restoration apparently contained Mexican Hat seeds.