# Butterweed (*Packera glabella*) Butterweed is a bright yellow flower that blooms in spring. It grows in fields and along roadsides, bringing color to the landscape and attracting butterflies and bees. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 15 - **Habitat:** Wetlands - **Also known as:** Crownbeard ![Butterweed](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Packera_glabella2.jpg&width=800) Photo: Pieter Pelser, CC BY 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Packera_glabella2.jpg) ## Appearance The Butterweed has bright, sunny yellow, daisy-like flowers clustered atop tall, hollow, reddish-green stems. Its glossy green leaves are deeply lobed and often purplish underneath, giving it a distinct, vibrant appearance in fields and wet areas. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Asterales - **Family:** Asteraceae - **Genus:** Packera ## Interesting facts - Butterweed provides early spring nectar when other flowers are scarce. - Butterweed's scientific name, Packera, honors a famous botanist! - Its stems are hollow, like tiny green drinking straws! - This plant completes its whole life in just one year! ## Special abilities - **Wetland Wanderer:** Butterweed can grow in very wet soil conditions, using its strong root system to absorb nutrients where many other plants struggle. - **Spring Sprinter:** Butterweed grows very quickly in spring, allowing it to bloom early and spread its seeds before other plants can shade it out. - **Pollinator Beacon:** Butterweed's bright yellow flowers act like a beacon, attracting many types of insects, especially bees and butterflies, for pollination. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-90 cm - **Spread:** 15-30 cm - **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring-early summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Moderate - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Collects nectar and pollen from its flowers - **Pollinates:** [Monarch butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — Visits flowers for nectar during migration - **Pollinates:** [Common eastern bumble bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) — Feeds on early spring nectar and pollen ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [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. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [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. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Do not eat any plants without asking an adult first. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Butterweed? 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 Butterweed? 30-90 cm ### How wide does Butterweed spread? 15-30 cm ### How big are the flowers on Butterweed? 1-2 cm ### When does Butterweed bloom? Spring-early summer ### Is Butterweed edible? No ### Is Butterweed toxic? Moderate ### What is Butterweed's lifecycle? Annual ## Where to spot - [Americus Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/americus-historic-district) — Georgia, US · Historic District - [Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/blackhand-gorge-state-nature-preserve) — Ohio, US · Nature Reserve - [Brandon Road Lock and Dam](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/brandon-road-lock-and-dam) — Illinois, US · Historic Site - [Bullock County Courthouse Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bullock-county-courthouse-historic-district) — Alabama, US · Historic District - [Louisiana Purchase State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/louisiana-purchase-state-park) — Arkansas, US · State Park - [Rosemark](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/rosemark) — Tennessee, US · Neighborhood [View all places to see Butterweed](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/butterweed) ## 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*) --- Source: [Butterweed: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/butterweed)