Beggarticks

Bidens

Beggarticks are bright yellow flowers that bloom in late summer and fall. They grow in many places and are loved by butterflies and bees for their sweet nectar.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Beggarticks has bright yellow, daisy-like flowers, often with dark centers, contrasting with its deep green, often serrated leaves. Its seeds are small, dark, and typically have barbed bristles, making them distinctive and sticky.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderAsteralesFamilyAsteraceaeGenusBidens

Beggarticks

Interesting facts

Wow! Beggarticks can often grow very quickly, sometimes reaching over five feet tall!

Wow! Some Beggarticks species can help clean polluted soil by absorbing heavy metals!

Wow! The name 'Bidens' means 'two teeth', describing the barbs on its seeds!

Wow! Young Beggarticks leaves can be cooked and eaten, like a wild spinach!

Special abilities

Beggarticks has tiny barbed seeds that stick to fur or clothes, helping them travel far to new growing spots.

Beggarticks flowers offer abundant nectar and pollen, attracting many insects for pollination.

Beggarticks can thrive in very wet, even flooded soils, allowing it to colonize areas other plants can't.

Measurements & details

Height: 30-150 cm
Spread: 20-80 cm
Flower Size: 1-3 cm
Bloom Season: Late Summer to Fall
Edible: Yes
Toxicity: None
Lifecycle: Annual
Pollination Method: Insect

Ecological connections

pollinates

European honey bee

Apis mellifera

Gathers nectar and pollen from flowers.

pollinates

Painted lady butterfly

Vanessa cardui

Feeds on nectar, helping to transfer pollen.

eats

Green peach aphid

Myzus persicae

Sucks nutrient-rich sap from tender stems.

eats

Red imported fire ant

Solenopsis invicta

Ants sometimes collect and consume seeds.

eats

Humans

Homo sapiens

People consume young leaves as a vegetable.

Traits

Flowering

Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.

Summer Blooming

Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.

Fragrant Flower

Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.

Edible

Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.