Winter Drought effects on Ratibida pinnata reproductive ecology

MIssouri experienced winter droughts in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018 which potentially impacted the native plants and their pollination systems at Shaw Nature Reserve. Ratibida pinnata is a hardy, herbaceous perennial plant in the Asteraceae family, which blooms June to August. In this study, R. pinnata was used as a folcal species to determine the impact of drought winters on the plants' morphology and pollination success.