When black-eyed susans are blooming you know the wildflower action has shifted from woods to meadows. Blackeyed susans are the poster species for moving into open spaces. Their affinity for being among the first plants to emerge in barren, newly cleared fields or after a burn is so well-known that they are called a pioneer plant. Their beautiful, dark-centered many-rayed bright yellow blooms are hard to miss.
Easy propagation makes them popular in home gardens, too. They have been showing off for a while now, but it’s not too late to catch them in Metroparks Toledo and Wood County parks. As summer progresses the yellows of black-eyed susans fade. But there’s still plenty of yellow to come. They will be replaced with the bright yellows of gray-headed coneflower, tall coreopsis and sunflowers. The show of yellows will continue into fall.
This photograph was captured by Art Weber, Metroparks nature photographer.
