Eryngium yuccifolium....

....or as it's more commonly known, Rattlesnake Master.  I read that there are some 250 species of eryngium in the world, with about 35 of them being in the U.S.  This plant is native to our state, and as with many of the plants found here, it was used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes. The root was used to relieve toothaches, as a remedy for bladder and kidney problems, and as indicated by it's name, as a treatment for snake bite, especially that of the rattlesnake. Each of it's flower heads is round in shape and made up of masses of tiny green to greenish white flowers. I'm really happy to see it making a come back as more and more land is set aside for prairie restoration sites. Mae and I found it during our walk along the Nojoshing** trail today, and I'm embarrassed to say it's the first time I've been on it. It was opened last year, only about a half mile or so from our house, and for some reason I thought it went straight back into Seminary Woods, when it actually has really nice trails and acres of prairie land! There were so many butterflies, grasshoppers, bees, etc.--we even saw a frog and a toad--and it was lovely, in spite of many of the flowers being past their prime.  Today we walked slower and I came prepared with snacks and water, not to mention the temperature being cooler and there was a wonderful breeze, so I had one happy little girl with me. 
**Nojoshing being a Native American word meaning "straight tongue"; they called this area by that name because back then there was a piece of land that protruded straight out into Lake Michigan.
I put one photo into the extras: 2 monarchs on some ragweed, and when I looked at it on the computer, darned if I didn't catch another giant black wasp in the picture as well!
Thanks to Anni/BikerBear for hosting FlowerFriday and to Miranda1008 for hosting WFW. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  :))