Vernonia arkansana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vernonia arkansana |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Vernonia
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| Species: |
arkansana
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Vernonia arkansana, also known as Arkansas ironweed or great ironweed, is a beautiful plant that comes back year after year. It belongs to the Asteraceae family, which includes many well-known flowers like sunflowers and daisies. You can find this plant growing in the south-central United States. It usually stands about 4 to 6 feet tall and spreads out 3 to 4 feet wide. Its pretty pink-purple flowers bloom from August to September. This plant is so lovely that it even won an award called the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit!
Who Visits This Plant?
Many different insects love to visit the Arkansas ironweed. They help the plant make new seeds by carrying pollen from one flower to another. This process is called pollination.
- Bees are very common visitors. They collect both pollen and sweet nectar from the flowers. Some bees, like Melissodes vernoniae, especially enjoy Vernonia plants.
- Butterflies and skippers (which are a type of butterfly) also fly around the flowers, collecting nectar.
- A special kind of aphid called Aphis vernoniae likes to feed on the plant's sap, which is like its juice.
- Many different caterpillars, which are baby moths, also enjoy eating the leaves of this plant.
However, not all animals like the Arkansas ironweed.
- Birds usually don't eat its seeds because they are very hard. Also, there isn't much pollen left for birds like hummingbirds to find.
- Large plant-eating mammals, like deer, tend to stay away from this plant. This is because its leaves have a bitter taste.
