The air was chilly outside the mornings this week, so chilly that I saw my breath. However, there is still enough residual heat from the summer radiating out of the ground. That means I’m still in shorts even though the thermometer read below 50F. I love this time of the morning when the sun is just starting to warm the autumn landscape.
At a distance I see the flowers of Bidens aristosa beginning to shine with the breaking of the day. I wanted some color at the base of the willows we planted along our property line. So, I welcomed tickseed sunflower as an herbaceous layer under the growing trees. I should add another reason I brought it home was because Karen loves yellow flowers.
A glance down the line of Bidens aristosa
After we moved into our new house in August four years ago, I noticed this native growing in a spot along the roadside. One day, the blooms vanished when the highway crew mowed their end-of-season cut. So, I stopped and dug up a plant that looked like it still had some life to it. That one plant became hundreds that now grow along this western property line that runs almost north-south. I never expected them to spread so much within such a short time, but I suppose with other common names like bearded beggarticks I should have anticipated this ruderal’s ability to find purchase in other locales. Bidens are named for the two teeth-like (bi- meaning two, and -dens meaning teeth) projections on the seed that aid dispersion and cause the seeds to act like ticks on clothes and animal fur.
A close up of Bidens aristosa flowers. Doesn’t it just look like a happy color?
From my vantage in the morning the flowers glow. The effect is lost a bit once the sun traces the sky; once the sun is behind them, the gold rays don’t pop as much with the sun to their backs. However, I do hope our neighbors enjoy when they are lit by the western sun.
The plants tend to not start flowering heavily until the end of September when we reach short days. In years past I’ve noticed one side had more blooms than the other. I suspected our security light was the reason why. However, we had that turned off to help reduce interference with birds and bugs, and the numbers of flowers on either side are more equal this autumn.
This weekend once the day had warmed, I stood and watched the frenzied activity from all kinds of insects on tickseed sunflower. Gulf Fritillaries, American Bumble Bees, and Monarchs were the easiest to spot. I should note that The Xerces Society reported that this species is very good for serving as a nectar source for Monarch butterflies as they travel south. This reference reported 1893 Monarch observations, the most of any plant for the southern plains!
The show doesn’t last too long. We’ll get to enjoy Bidens aristosa for about a month before the plants start going down. But, for now they are a welcome sight and warm the garden with color as the season gets cooler and cooler.