Fleabane is one of the most misunderstood — and dare I say, almost hated — native plant species. Most people consider it a weed, like Canadian Goldenrod. But I think it is a darling plant.
According to the USDA Forest Service, there are 390 known species of fleabane worldwide and about 170 species in North America. The species I’m familiar with here in Wisconsin are the Common (Erigeron annuus) and Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron strigosus). They are annual plants in the Daisy family (Astereae). In good seasons, they can be over-abundant, and in poor, almost non-existent — typical of annual plants dependent upon their seed germinating. They blossom in late spring and into the fall, often going to seed while still flowering. Each plant may have anywhere from 40 to 100 flat disk-shaped florets which are small, only 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter.
They has composite flowers made up of a wide, bright yellow central disk surrounded by short, petal-like white to pinkish flat rays. They use pollination, but also self-fertilize. “The flower has an outer ring of pistillate white ray flowers and a central disc of numerous bisexual yellow florets.” (Friends of the Wild Flower Garden)
Their leaves are alternate and typically lanceolate in shape and coarsely toothed, although less so on the upper stem. Their central stem is slightly hairy. They can grow anywhere from 1 to 3-1/2 feet tall.
Fleabane prefers full sun and dry conditions, but can do well in mesic, clay or gravel; alkaline soil and partial shade. It is considered a pioneer species because it is often one of the first native plants returning to a disturbed or a restored ecological site and can often out-compete non-native weed species.
Host Plant
The Common and the Daisy Fleabane are the host plants for the Lynx Flower Moth (Schinia lynx) which can be found in Wisconsin and throughout most of the states east of the Rocky Mountains. They are pollinated by a variety of bees and flies. Wasps, small butterflies and other insects also nectar on these plants.
So the next time you’re out in your prairie and you’re cursing the invasion of the fleabane, maybe think twice before pulling it out. Maybe give it some reasonable doubt.
I have never heard of the Lynx Flower Moth. Must look it up. Are you on Kate Redmond’s mailing list? She sends weekly information about insects. Fascinating.
Her posts are archived by the UWM Field Station: http://uwm.edu/field-station/category/bug-of-the-week/
I couldn’t find much on the Lynx Flower Moth either, Ney. Just that little bit on Wikipedia and some photos elsewhere. Thanks for the info on Kate Redmond’s blog. I’ll have to sign-up.
Lovely article 💕
Thanks, May-Numu.
The bees love them, and bees need all the help they can get these days.
Yes indeed, Joe — Donna
Thank you for helping me identify the plant in my backyard! It looked too pretty to be just a weed, but I didn’t want to take the chance of promoting an invasive either. Given your information, I believe I’ll move it to my pollinator garden.
If an annual. It does not do well for transplanting, Christi. Just keep watch over the seed and transplant when the seed begin to fall — in the pollinator garden — Donna
I actually found one of these “weeds” in the front garden and, since I couldn’t recognized it, but didn’t want to kill it either, I did transplant it to on of the sides of the house where I have the annual flowers just to give it an opportunity to show what kind of plant was it…to my surprise, I fall in love with it 💘 because of the little daisies it has, I even try to find out what specimen it was but couldn’t be sure of my findings….Now, I know is a treasure to keep, thanks for the article!
I’m glad to help, Lima — Donna
I am in the process of starting a natural garden with local plants only. Fleabane were the first to grow in and flower. I love them but had not known much about them. You wrote a great article! Thank you very much.
Glad you read my blog, Michael == Donna
Thank you for this article! My husband and I in year two of restoring a native prairie on our central Iowa property. This species nearly dominated the entire prairie last summer when it was very dry. I thought it was an invasive species and planned to spot kill it this year to make room for my natives. This gives me great joy as I do think they are a beautiful plant and have seen bees enjoying them! I especially like that they are a pioneering species – tells me my husband and I must be doing something right. Thank you!
Thank you, too, Katie — Donna
Thank you for the information. I have been saving these little cuties and moving them to a new bed as a ground cover. I didn’t know they were annuals as they started growing late fall/winter here in Maryland. Nevertheless, they are doing well.
Did you mean the Lynx Flower Moth (Schinia lynx) can be found EAST of the Rockies? I hope so, I’m always looking for new host plants.
Susan — Good catch! I corrected this misstep. It is EAST of the Rockies — Donna
Schinia lynx is a fun moth. I found a few while conducting a moth survey in central PA. Here’s a link to two sites that might be useful.
https://bugguide.net/node/view/131198
http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/species.php?phylo=932120
Thank you for this article! Fleabane, though I didn’t know its name for many years, was one of the first plants I ever took a liking to as a child. The “little daisies” charmed me to no end. Seeing it reminds me of running the back roads with my Grandpa in his old pickup truck, which is a treasured memory. I’ll always have a place in my heart and native garden for delightful fleabane!
Great information! I am in Maryland and had this plant pop up last year. As most, I took it to be a weed (it must have been since I didn’t put it there!). This year, it took off and I did some research. Thanks to this article, I will not remove it from my garden to do my part to help the bees!
Thank you, Kathy — Donna
Thank you for this article – I’ve been mowing around my “yard flowers” and replanting them once they got big enough. I have three little collections of fleabane at the corner of my gardens now and they are lovely. It’s great to know what they are.
Also – this will be helpful in discussing with my “tidy garden” neighbor why her monoculture lawn might benefit from some of the weeds that seem to drift from my yard to hers.
Glad to be of help, Rebecca — Donna
I recently created a 1/2 acre meadow where a forest of some sort of doomed pine tree had once flourished. After clearing stumps and whatnot, I planted a contractor mix and let nature do the rest. Second year and I have lots of fleabane and I love them.
Doc — the second year, you will see black-eyed Susan’s, too — Donna
Thank you for this article,
I had one come up in a good location, by the time it was flowering it was 4-5′ tall and had to go, I cut the flower stocks, put them in a vase, they lasted a couple of weeks and were lovely. the remaining plant has put up more flower sand is now blooming pretty and 1-2′ tall, very nice plant
I am so glad you like it, Pam — Donna
Thank you very much for your article. I always wondered about this little jewel. I live in S.E. Mo. Plenty of them here around the woods and pastures.
You’re welcome, Lyndal — Donna
I have been watching this plant all summer. It has finally bloomed with hundreds of little daisies. I kept hesitating on tearing it out. Now I’m glad I left it alone. One of the Lynx Flower Moths visited me last night, while I was admiring the garden. Thank you so much for your very informative blog! I learned a lot from this. I am slowly turning my backyard into a pollinator habitat. I’ll be following you, but not in a creepy way. 🙂
Good for you, Stephanie – Donna
I live in Maryland and have many volunteer fleabane plants, more than I think I need. Is there any natural remedy to eliminate some or do I have to just keep digging up plants when they spread farther and farther. Thanks very much.
Just keep them from re-seeding, Sandy. There are annuals — Donna
I understand the name derived from the fact that these flowers were once dried and used to discourage household crawling insects. Do you know anything about this?
Try Plants & Gardens Blog, Tom –Donna
Very lovely article highlighting a plant I loved the look of in a field but was concerned that it might be an invasive. Thank you!
Your welcome, Maria — Donna
If you let them grow one year you’ll get volunteers for years to come. I let them grow in the back row of the perennial garden, the same as common milkweed, and the ones that turn up out of place are easy to pull. The result is they look planned, and lots of visitors want to know what the pretty little daisies are.
That’s one way to enjoy the flowers, Alby — Donna
Solid article Donna. You crushed it!
Thank you, Taylor — Donna
As a fellow wildflower lover and consumer of both medicinal herbs and wild foraged lesser known garden items (such as wild lettuce, plantains, and clearweed), I am happy to find myself among others who can appreciate what others might call “garden weeds”. I do want to alert those who may not be from the Southeast that we also have an herbicide-resistant variant of one species of fleabane (Erigeron Canadensis, aka Horseweed) that can grow to nine feet tall down here and affects our corn, cotton, and other crop yields in the Southeast, while also causing allergic reactions like dermatitis and hives. I haven’t suffered like this in decades, but apparently those allergy shots I received for years didn’t have this pollen in their mix?
If you occasionally like to pick a few daisies to put in a bouquet, you’re probably safe. But, if you’re trying to grow a crop of some herb that’s not considered invasive in your area, like lavender or evening primrose or purple coneflower and you find yourself crowded out by the strain de la resistance in the pollen capitol of the world and immersed in the pollen from this herbicide-resistant variant of an already top performing pollen within the pollen capitol of the world that knocks the socks off any variety of goldenrod pollen and could possibly only be halfway matched by giant ragweed pollen to which many of us have become desensitized, you may find yourself covered in hives with itchy, weeping blisters, without any other edible or sweetly scented native wildflowers of which to speak, and crying for relief.
I was letting all the native fleabanes grow untouched and wondering why only one was taking over when it suddenly seemed I was covered in weeping blisters and hives that no herbal, otc, or prescription cortisone cream could control. I came across this article which was right next to a document from the University of Tennessee that contained the answer to the question I was searching for, “Why is this tall fleabane taking over everything allowing no other “weeds” to grow?”. I wouldn’t doubt many of the complaints are probably about the variant, and people don’t even realize they have a rogue weed… =(
FYI to any potentially un-desensitized wildflower lover who visits the Southeast, those signs that say “Don’t pick the wildflowers.” are not designed to save the wildflowers. They’re designed to save your life.
Sorry to be the rain on everyone’s parade (of wildflowers)!
https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/documents/w106.pdf
Love, MamaRebecca 💚💚💚
Sensitivity! Thanks, Rebecca — Donna
We just moved to Kentucky and decided not to mow most of a huge yard and now we have an abundance of fleabane and buttercups. It’s beautiful! Much nicer than a mowed lawn.
Keith — Read Here’s What to Know About the “No Mow May” Movement and review what Doug Tallamy’s saying about “No Mow May.” There are three Wild Ones chapters in Kentucky: Lexington, Louisville, and South Kentucky — Donna
The previous owner mowed about 3/4 of acre. I chose to mow only 1/4 acre and mow the other 1/2 acre once in October to keep it open and scatter seeds. I’ve also planted a bag of native wild flower seeds. Let the bees and butterflies enjoy!