Astranthium integrifolium~Entireleaf Western Daisy
Many years ago when Clay and Limestone was just beginning to take shape in my mind and heart, I chanced upon a small daisy like flower in the ‘lawn’ in the wayback backyard. I was so charmed by it that I mowed around it all summer. Little did I know then, that letting it go to seed was exactly the right thing to do!
there really is a tiny pollinator visiting this bloom
It wasn’t long after that I identified my mystery flower as Entireleaf Western Daisy. Astranthium integrifolium is a winter annual that’s endemic to Middle Tennessee and my garden. I’ve found very little written about this sweet little member of the Asteraceae family. Even my go to guy, Thomas E Hemmerly, (Wildflowers of the Central South) did not include it in his list of native plants! But, I’d seen it growing in cedar glades and knew it was endemic. Only in the last 10 years have wildflower guides begun to include it in their publications and even now, there is still little information about this charming native and its faunal associations. So, it’s up to gardeners like you and me to note if it’s a host plant for moths or butterflies, which pollinators visit and if mammals graze it.
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. Vol. 3: 402.
It was a keeper from the get go! Especially, when I noticed that it was a magnet for butterflies and small bees. It blooms in early spring and really hits its stride by May, when the entire lawnette is carpeted with its pinkish daisy flower. It will bloom on and off all summer and into the late fall during mild years. So, I wasn’t at all surprised to discover blooming plants in my front garden today. The days are still warm and there may be a few bees out and about that will appreciate the pollen and nectar.
Blooming today
Most winter annuals are exotics like Violas, poppies, larkspur and Pansies~Lovely plants that provide winter or early spring flowers in many gardens. Astranthium integrifolium is an annual native forb that’s usually found growing in meadows, prairies and on roadsides in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. While, you might not be able to grow my little daisy in your part of the garden world~I’m pretty sure you have a list of native winter annuals that will feed the pollinators and your spirit~for a long time.
Gail Eichelberger of Clay and Limestone has a beautiful wildlife garden in middle Tennessee.
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Gail,this is indeed a charming plant…glad to see it grown in NC. I will most definitely add it to my garden, Helen’s Haven™.
Helen, I’ve a few earmarked for Helen’s Haven and almost read to ship!
Gail recently posted..Hyper Colored Hypericum for Wildflower Wednesday
Great article about a little known plant.~~Dee
I wonder if there are any in your part of OK? gail
Gail Eichelberger recently posted..Hyper Colored Hypericum for Wildflower Wednesday
Being lucky enough to find some of the most beautiful native wild flowers and shrubs on our newly purchased little piece of land 16 years ago is what got me started loving and appreciating wild plants. Love your post about this wonderful daisy! I always enjoy the posts on this blog. Keep up the good work!
For several years I have had Common fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus) growing between the bricks in my front sidewalk. It’s a very pretty delicate flower which is a native wildflower, and which blooms prolifically in spring and early summer, so I have allowed it to grow, and spread some of the seeds along the edge of the sidewalk, where they are less likely to be stepped on. I love reading your blogs, it’s good to find so many other gardeners interested in gardening with native plants, and providing habitat for wildlife. It really makes gardening much more rewarding!
Pauline, It’s so much fun to write these posts when there are readers like you! The erigeron sounds delightful~I am heading to my favorite search engine to take a peak at it! Gail
Gail recently posted..Hyper Colored Hypericum for Wildflower Wednesday
Gail, I had several photos on my computer of the fleabane, but couldn’t figure out how to upload them to this site. I did upload them to my facebook wall with the condition that they can be seen by everyone, so you should be able to see them.
Jewelweed and annual fleabane are the only local annuals I know well…and given that I’ve had to plant the jewelweed myself, I can only hope it returns next year! The fleabane, though, will be back no matter what.
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This looks to me very much like “windflowers”. We are in The Texas Hill Country with clay and limestone soil. They are the first to bloom every spring. It’s so dreary in the winter. They pop up in white and lavender and are so pretty and cheerful! I have identified them from a native plant book.