The present invention relates to a new and distinct Coreopsis and given the cultivar name ‘Lightning Bug’. Coreopsis is in the family Asteraceae. This new cultivar originated from a controlled breeding program to produce hardy compact Coreopsis. The new cultivar originated from planned cross of two proprietary unnamed Coreopsis verticillata hybrid seedlings. The new cultivar of Coreopsis is an herbaceous perennial to be grown for landscape and container use in a sunny site.
Compared to the seed parent the new cultivar has a different flower color.
Compared to Coreopsis ‘Firefly’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,295, the new cultivar has flowers that are gold and red rather than yellow with a small red eye.
Compared to Coreopsis ‘Cosmic Eye’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,601, the new cultivar has ray florets that are a gold and red rather than yellow and deep purple. The new cultivar is more dense and compact, with more stems from the crown, and has smaller inflorescences.