Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)

Woodland sunflower is a slender, upright perennial reaching 3 to 6 feet tall. A specialist of open woods and rocky edges, it thrives in part shade to full sun and prefers dry to mesic soils, making it one of the most shade tolerant sunflowers. In habitat it is a high traffic ecological hub; its bright yellow summer blooms provide a massive nectar and pollen resource for specialist bees (like the sunflower cuckoo bee) and butterflies. It also serves as a critical host plant for the silvery checkerspot and the gorgone checkerspot butterflies. The stems provide winter interest as well as browse for birds with its seed heads.