A lovely expanse of Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia), a member of the Asteraceae or Aster family.

Wingstem can easily grow to 8 feet tall. A plant that is native to eastern and central North America.

The bloom is a composite flower, each looks like a single flower but consists of a bunch of small individual flowers – disk flowers and ray flowers. The petals you see are actually ray flowers and in the center are disk flowers. The ray flowers fascinate me with their double-curlycue stigmas which are the surfaces that capture pollen.

Wingstems attract many pollinators – bees, butterflies, skippers, wasps, and flies. The butterfly above, is a Eastern Tailed Blue (Cupido comyntas) that has had a rough time in its 3 to 6 day life span.

What an intriguing bunch of blooms and OH! That brilliant yellow! Absolutely gorgeous!

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