# Nodding Beggarticks (*bidens cernua*)

Nodding Beggarticks are bright yellow flowers that love to grow in wet areas! They sway gently in the breeze, making them look like they are dancing.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Snaps:** 3
- **Habitat:** Wetlands, marshes, and along the edges of ponds.
- **Also known as:** Nodding Beggar-ticks, Swamp Beggar-ticks

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

Photo: Kristian Peters -- Fabelfroh 11:10, 21 October 2007 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bidens_cernua.jpeg)

## Appearance

The Nodding Beggarticks is an upright plant with branched stems and often-toothed leaves. It has small, bright yellow flowers, typically without prominent petals, that frequently droop or 'nod' downwards, making it distinctive in wet areas.

## Taxonomy

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

## Interesting facts

- Its seeds have tiny hooks that act like Velcro, catching rides on unsuspecting animals!
- Its yellow blooms often droop when flowering, giving the plant its 'nodding' name!
- The name 'Beggarticks' refers to its clingy seeds, not an actual creepy bug!
- This plant is sometimes used in traditional herbal medicine for various purposes.

## Special abilities

- **Hitchhiker Seeds:** Nodding Beggarticks has tiny barbed seeds that can cling to animal fur or clothing, helping it spread far and wide.
- **Wetland Wonder:** Nodding Beggarticks can thrive in very wet, disturbed soils where many other plants struggle to grow.
- **Nectar Buffet:** Nodding Beggarticks produces abundant nectar in late summer, attracting many insects for essential energy.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 15-120 cm
- **Spread:** 15-45 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*) — Feeds on nectar, aiding reproduction.
- **Eaten by:** Mallard (*Anas platyrhynchos*) — Waterfowl often consume its seeds.
- **Pollinates:** Drone fly (*Eristalis tenax*) — Visits flowers for nectar and pollen.

## Traits

- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
- [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:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Nodding 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 Nodding Beggarticks?

15-120 cm

### How wide does Nodding Beggarticks spread?

15-45 cm

### How big are the flowers on Nodding Beggarticks?

1-3 cm

### When does Nodding Beggarticks bloom?

Late summer to fall

### Is Nodding Beggarticks edible?

Yes

### Is Nodding Beggarticks toxic?

None

### What is Nodding Beggarticks's lifecycle?

Annual

## Where to spot

- [Illinois Caverns State Natural Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/illinois-caverns-state-natural-area) — Illinois, US · State Park
- [Lock and Dam No. 22](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/lock-and-dam-no-22) — Illinois, US · Historic Site
- [Scales Mound Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/scales-mound-historic-district) — Illinois, US · Historic District
- [Martin Luther King Junior Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/martin-luther-king-junior-park) — Virginia, US · Park

[View all places to see Nodding Beggarticks](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/nodding-beggarticks)

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