by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Plant Page | Jeff's Nature Pages
Asteraceae (Compositae) | |
Virginia Thistle (Cirsium virginianum) Craven Co., NC 28 Aug 2005 | |
Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) Orange Co., NC 7/20/2005 Although not native to the U.S. and considered by several states to be a Noxious Weed, Bull Thistle is a great butterfly nectar source, as this Clouded Skipper can attest to! | |
Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) same as above | |
Yellow Thistle (Cirsium horridulum) Pender Co., NC 24 April 2004 | |
Threadleaf Tickseed (Coreopsis verticillata) Person Co., NC 13 June 2006 In NC, this plant grows in and near dry woodlands. Common in the piedmont, less so in the mountains and coastal plain. | |
Threadleaf Tickseed (Coreopsis verticillata) Person Co., NC 13 June 2006 | |
Threadleaf Tickseed (Coreopsis verticillata) Person Co., NC 13 June 2006 | |
Common Leopardbane (Arnica acaulis) Johnston Co., NC 29 May 2005 Found in NC in the eastern piedmont and throughout most of the coastal plain. | |
Purplehead Sneezeweed (Helenium flexuosum) Johnston Co., NC 29 May 2005 Uncommon but widespread across NC | |
Purplehead Sneezeweed (Helenium flexuosum) Johnston Co., NC 29 May 2005 | |
Lobed Tickseed (Coreopsis auriculata) Orange Co., NC 16 May 2004 | |
Orange Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida) Chatham Co., NC | |
Green-and-gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) Durham Co., NC 1 May 2005 Fairly common in central NC, this plant blooms in the spring. | |
Green-and-gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) Person Co., NC 13 June 2006 Fairly common in central NC, this plant blooms in the spring. | |
Kidneyleaf Rosinweed (Silphium compositum) Person Co., NC 13 June 2006 | |
Kidneyleaf Rosinweed (Silphium compositum) Person Co., NC 13 June 2006 | |
Kidneyleaf Rosinweed (Silphium compositum) Person Co., NC 13 June 2006 | |
Blazing Star (Liatris sp.) Orange Co., NC 19 Sep 2004 Blazing Stars are great nectar plants in powerlines and savannas in the late summer and fall. | |
Blazing Star (Liatris graminifolia) Craven Co., NC 28 Aug 2005 This fall blooming species is often a butterfly magnet in power line clearings. | |
New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) Durham Co., NC 20 Aug 2005 | |
same as above This species is a favorite nectar source for butterflies. | |
Large Flower Aster (Aster grandiflorus) Orange Co., NC 24 Sep 2004 Most authorities now place "asters" native to the U.S. into the genus Symphyotrichum, thus the new scientific name for this species is Symphyotrichum grandiflorum. This species is uncommon in NC where it is found scattered across the piedmont and coastal plain. It is endemic to the Carolinas and Virginia. | |
Late Purple Aster (Symphyotrichum patens) = (Aster patens) Chatham Co., NC 20 Oct 2005 | |
same individual as above, showing leaves | |
New York Aster (Aster novi-belgii) Dare Co., NC 4 Nov 2005 A common aster in the NC coastal plain in savannahs, marshes, wet dunes, and pine lands. Ray flower color is variable from nearly white to bluish-violet. | |
New York Aster (Aster novi-belgii) Dare Co., NC 4 Nov 2005 | |
New York Aster (Aster novi-belgii) Dare Co., NC 4 Nov 2005 Growing at the edge of a Phragmites marsh in the back dunes at the north end of Pea Island on the Outer Banks. |
Tiger Swallowtail on Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Orange Co., NC 6 June 04 |
Oxeye Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) Orange Co., NC 11 June 2005 Daisies are introduced from Europe, and in general are relatively poor nectar plants for butterflies. However, when few other flowers are available, butterflies will use daisies. |
Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) This fall-flowering species was formerly placed in the genus Eupatorium. It can be an excellent butterfly magnet in some parts of the state, especially along the coast. | |
same as above | |
Toothed White-topped Aster (Sericocarpus asteroides) Person Co., NC 13 June 2006 Common statewide in dry soil habitats across NC. | |
Toothed White-topped Aster (Sericocarpus asteroides) Person Co., NC 13 June 2006 | |
Toothed White-topped Aster (Sericocarpus asteroides) Person Co., NC 13 June 2006 | |
Unknown Asteraceae (Compositae) | |
which fleabane? Person Co., NC 13 June 2006 | |
same as above Person Co., NC 13 June 2006 | |
same as above Person Co., NC 13 June 2006 | |
Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Common names from personal experience and supplemented by the following resources USDA plants website, Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, and NatureServe.
Created on May 7, 2006 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com