fleabane

daisy fleabane & annual fleabane (Erigeron strigosus & Erigeron annuus)
native
pictures taken in may & june

a bit of a struggle with these guys. i think we have here two different (but extremely similar) types of fleabane - daisy fleabane (right) and annual fleabane (center, left) - but honestly i can't tell. the difference seems to be in the leaves, with daisy fleabane (strigosus) having smooth-edged leaves and annual having toothed leaves. honestly, these could just be the same plant. the ones i think are daisy fleabane are at the library - note to self to go back and take more pictures of the leaves closer to the base for better comparison.
anyway. both fleabanes are native to north america and widely distributed, in roughly the same places. in an amusing reversal of fortune, they've been introduced to and become a weed in europe! fleabane grows in any kind of soil, including gravelly and sandy waste areas. it's quite sturdy and tolerant of even rough conditions - it can and will grow through cracks in pavement.
both plants look additionally similar to their earlier-blooming purpler relative robin's plantain, but thankfully they're distinct enough that i can actually tell the difference.
lots of small bees and flies are very fond of the fleabane flowers, but it isn't as popular with larger bees like bumblebees.

the flowers bloom from june to early fall.