Our fields still are well-sprinkled with delightful white blossoms. However, they no longer are mostly Queen Anne’s Lace.
As you see above, the Queen’s flowers have been gracefully turning inward, bowing, and giving way to this autumn commoner:
That commoner is Daisy Fleabane. Despite its name, this robust plant is neither a daisy nor a flea repellant as our forefathers thought. It’s an aster that arrives in several species during the late summer and early fall.
If we’re correctly reading the leaves and stems of our plants, our version of Daisy Fleabane is Erigeron annuus:
The genus name, Erigeron, reportedly derives from the Greek for “old man,” apparently because of the hairy appearance of the plant stems. The specific name, “annuus,” means annual. (Brooklin, Maine)