Garden

[cheriere]

A member of the Aster family, like chamomile, Philadelphia Fleabane is a lovely wildflower!  

Native to North America and now found in nearly every state, it looks similar to a daisy.🌼 

Its name, Erigeron is Greek.  Eri, meaning early and Geron, meaning old man because of its hairy appearance.

Historically, this plant was named Fleabane because of what early settlers to America believed.  This plant was often dried and put into sachets or burned to repel fleas, gnats, flies and other insects.  However, there's no scientific proof that this works.

They also used this dried plant to smoke or snuff lol.😃

It's known as a wild edible.  The leaves can be eaten raw.  However, cooking will remove the small hairs on the leaves and stems.  It's often served along with other greens.  This method is said to taste similar to spinach.

Rabbits and livestock also love to eat this flower.  It's quite famous for being a Major butterfly attractor and its flowers provide sweet nectar to many pollinators.

It's blossoms carry quite a significant cultural weight across many different societies.  The flowers are emblems of resilience and an ever present reminder of nature's cycles.  Woven into cultural narratives, it often symbolizes purity.

[Puggywuggy]

Another one I don't remember seeing before! Thank you @cheriere for sharing the images and background 😊

[feline groovy]

Wildflowers are my favorite type of flower; love them all. 

[Natureluvr]

I love asters! We get them here in northern Delaware.

[cheriere]

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@feline groovy wrote:

Wildflowers are my favorite type of flower; love them all. 

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Mine too!❤️

There's a song by Dolly Parton I always think of called Wildflowers.  "When a flower grows wild, it can always survive.  Wildflowers don't care where they grow."