# 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.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Wetlands
- **Also known as:** Beggar-ticks

![Beggarticks](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Bombyliid_7294.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Pollinator at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bombyliid_7294.jpg)

## 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.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Asterales
- **Family:** Asteraceae
- **Genus:** Bidens

## 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

- **Travel Buddy Seeds:** Beggarticks has tiny barbed seeds that stick to fur or clothes, helping them travel far to new growing spots.
- **Pollinator's Feast:** Beggarticks flowers offer abundant nectar and pollen, attracting many insects for pollination.
- **Wetland Wanderer:** 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](https://www.snappit.app/explore/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](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/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.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

While these flowers are not harmful, it's best to avoid touching any plants without asking an adult.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Beggarticks?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Beggarticks?

30-150 cm

### How wide does Beggarticks spread?

20-80 cm

### How big are the flowers on Beggarticks?

1-3 cm

### When does Beggarticks bloom?

Late Summer to Fall

### Is Beggarticks edible?

Yes

### Is Beggarticks toxic?

None

### What is Beggarticks's lifecycle?

Annual

## Where to spot

- [Collingwood Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/collingwood-park) — Virginia, US · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Beggarticks: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/beggarticks)