Did You Know?

Daisy fleabane grows prolifically in fallow fields, meadows, and along roadsides as a "winter annual"; i.e., the seeds germinate in summer or late fall and form a basal rosette of leaves that in the following spring or summer give rise to a stem and blossoms and a new seed crop--after which the plant dies. Hilton Pond Center

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Daisy Fleabane

Date Submitted: September 13, 2009

Observer: Paul Lauenstein

Observation Date: 7/23/09

Observation Time: 9:45 a.m.

Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road

Plant or Animal? Plant

Common Name: Daisy Fleabane

Scientific Name: Erigeron annuus

Daisy Fleabane

Comments: Fleabanes get their common name from an old belief that they repelled fleas and other pestiferous insects. Early European settlers in North America stuffed mattresses with fleabane and hung clusters of plants in their cabins to drive out fleas. The custom persisted for generations, even though Daisy Fleabane appears to have no insect-repelling ability whatsoever. In fact, the plant ATTRACTS insects—not only pollinators but also tiny herbivores that nibble away the ray flowers and leave only the central disk.

More Information: Hilton Pond Center

Previous, Subsequent, or Similar Sightings:
Daisy Fleabane, 6/28/10

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