Learning about native plants is so cool. Suddenly, the concept of a ‘weed’ is thrown into question. In years past, I would have mowed this plant down despite the flowers. It’s a weed!
Now I am snapping pics of things, uploading them to iNaturalist and finding out what they are. According to the Wikipedia entry, this plant “is a larval host for the [obscure schinia moth](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schinia_obscurata),[[12]](app://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erigeron_philadelphicus#cite_note-12) and butterflies, bees, and moths pollinate the flowers.”
Amazing!
by hoppyzicehog
11 Comments
Almost all weeds make flowers, people usually just mow their lawn before that happens
I just logged a picture of these on iNaturalist yesterday trying to figure out what they were. Really cool flowers!
Oh man that looks cool!
I had 2 of these growing in my front yard and I told my husband to mow around them and he listened. My neighbor just thought he missed a patch and mowed over them
Let that baby go to seed and you’ll have many more next season. Things are just waking up here in 6b and I’ve got probably 30 to 40 reseeded from just one plant last year
This is on my list of most easily foraged plants. Co-entrants include wild violets and lyre leaf sage. You can find them at most parks and dig them out with a hori hori knife easily before they get mowed over.
i love these, they’re so friendly looking
Same boat re fleabane for me! I’m letting it pop up and even nabbed a couple small ones from the roadside to transplant. Realizing I’m a bit short on spring bloomers. One native cultivar azalea, plenty of common violet, and some carex that ‘blooms.’
Bravo! We have them too up here in North Georgia near Cleveland
https://preview.redd.it/wtggyzvg0hvg1.jpeg?width=2912&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f159e0adb04017bd39d6fa06934eaa5a823da4dd
I have its cousin! *Erigeron pulchellus* (Robin’s plantain). So cute, one of my very earliest bloomers with pettable (fuzzy) evergreen basal rosettes. She made me lots of short rhizome babies! She’s gone to seed already so I think I may try to divide her before long. Very cute as a ground cover layer in a transitional/shady area under my oak. Also ID’d some *Erigeron divergens* rosettes that popped up in my full-sun, more prairie-style garden that I’m curious to see grow. It’s such a trip to see what shows up! The joy & mystery of native plant gardening!
I absolutely love Philadelphia Fleabane! I have several volunteers, and they cover a very important bloom time in my area (June). It’s hard to find flowers that bloom during June, but this one does and it is an absolute pollinator magnet! I’m actually winter sowing some this year from the seeds I collected from it!