Rudbeckia fulgida

Rudbeckia fulgida is a native flowering plant that is found throughout the southeast. It naturally occurs in a range of dry to wet woodlands. It prefers to grow in full sun to part shade, and is drought tolerant. This plant can get up to three feet tall in the growing season and dies back to a strong set of basal leaves in the winter. Leaving dormant stems until spring provides necessary over-wintering habitat for pollinators. It readily spreads from rhizomes and creates colonies. Bright yellow flowers bloom in the summer and attract many pollinators. Birds eat the seeds in the fall and winter. This is also a host plant for a few native butterfly species. Rudbeckia fulgida works well as a specimen plant in a yard or rain garden.