Daisy Fleabane - Spring Roadside Staple

Ubiquitous and seemingly long-blooming, the daisy fleabane (Erigeron) species on our roadsides has been a delight to me - and our pollinators - this year. To the casual observer, these month-over-month blooms might appear to be all the same species.

Most of the common species in Georgia are described as species favorable to disturbed areas, so finding a home on roadsides is perfect. This week we have been in Florida with a new grandbaby, and the drive through Georgia, Alabama, and Florida gave me an opportunity to see just how abundant Erigeron can be on the roads; it was mixed with a variety of other flowers like Coreopsis, and naturalized exotic species like verbena and Queen Anne’s lace. The long, airy stems with clusters of tiny white flowers resemble baby’s breath.

Erigeron strigosus perhaps

I examined some of the plants near my daughter’s house and I think they might be Erigeron strigosus, called rough or prairie fleabane. The leaves are smaller and more narrow, so the overall look of the foliage is sparse. It can be an annual or biennial.

The other species that we all might have seen include Erigeron philadelphicus (Philadelphia fleabane), one of the early blooming ones. This short-lived perennial species has leaf bases that conspicuously and strongly clasp the stem. Erigeron annuus, the annual fleabane has more and larger leaves than other species. Unlike Philadelphia fleabane, its leaves do not clasp the stem at the base. The number of ray flowers also varies among the species but they are so tiny and numerous that I think it would be hard to count them.

In resourcing these species, I found a good website that describes these species and provides comparisons among the 3. Start here with Erigeron strigosus and navigate from there.

I’m glad I got to take a closer look at these lovely native flowers. Meanwhile, new grandbaby is small but I look forward to seeing these tiny hands clutching a bouquet of daisy fleabane in a year or two.