A fiery skipper sips from Golden Crownbeard on a fall day. [1]

I enjoy taking photos of insects, and when I’m looking for a spot where they might be, I can always count on golden crownbeard. It does have negatives for some people: It reseeds quite happily and the foliage is not very refined, but it is a go-to plant if you want lots and lots of blooms and are hoping to attract butterflies and pollinators. It even serves as a host plant for the larvae of the bordered patch and silvery checkerspot butterflies. As an annual it begins showing leaves in late February and is one of the first plants to bloom in the spring, continuing until frost. It requires no special care and plants coming up in the wrong place are easy to remove.  


Common Name: Golden crownbeard
Botanical Name: Verbesina encelioides
Color: Yellow
Blooming Period: Early spring to frost
Type: Annual
Size: 1-3 feet
Exposure: Full to part sun
When to Plant: Scratch seeds into soil in late fall.
Soil: Average to poor
Watering: Fairly drought tolerant when established; it will droop when thirsty.
When to Fertilize: It will react negatively by putting on more foliage and less blooms when fertilized.
In Your Landscape: This is one for a naturalized area and looks good mixed in with purple-blooming natives such as various species of liatris and asters.

Photo Credits:
[1] Photo courtesy of Marilyn Stewart.
[2] Photo courtesy of Curtis Clark, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Curtis_Clark.

(From Oklahoma Gardener Volume IX Issue VIII.)