This is a special blog for those who took my class on Monarch Gardening at the Shaw Nature Reserve last week. There were two plants that people had asked about and we did not know exactly what they were. The first was likely a Yellow Crownbeard (Verbesina helianthoides.) Something notable about this plant was the “wings” on its stem, hence its other common name, Wingstem.) I noticed this plant the following day in an area I help to maintain in the Healing Garden, an area I help to maintain in Forest Park. It is one of the few plants native to Missouri that produces frost flower (see one of my earlier blogs for more info on this one), and I’ve seen frost flower at its stem many times, which was how I figured it must be a Crownbeard. More info on this plant through the below link from MDC. More to come on the other plant.
Read more on the Yellow Crownbeard here.