False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
False Sunflower attracts a wide variety of native bees and other pollinators. It is the host plant to the specialist bees Pseudopanurgus rugosus, Melissodes coloradensis, Melissodes trinodis, and Melissodes vernoniae (Johnson and Colla, 2023). It is always nice to see the yellows come out and this is one of the earlier ones. It is also a host plant to two moths in our area (nwf.org).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
False Sunflower attracts a wide variety of native bees and other pollinators. It is the host plant to the specialist bees Pseudopanurgus rugosus, Melissodes coloradensis, Melissodes trinodis, and Melissodes vernoniae (Johnson and Colla, 2023). It is always nice to see the yellows come out and this is one of the earlier ones. It is also a host plant to two moths in our area (nwf.org).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
False Sunflower attracts a wide variety of native bees and other pollinators. It is the host plant to the specialist bees Pseudopanurgus rugosus, Melissodes coloradensis, Melissodes trinodis, and Melissodes vernoniae (Johnson and Colla, 2023). It is always nice to see the yellows come out and this is one of the earlier ones. It is also a host plant to two moths in our area (nwf.org).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer
Life Cycle: Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial sun
Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry
Height: 5 feet
Plant Spacing: 1.5-3 feet
Bloom Time: June-September
Bloom Color: Yellow
Advantages: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Deer Resistant, Great Landscape Plant
Host Plant: 2 butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org)
Specialist Bee: Pseudopanurgus rugosus, Melissodes coloradensis, Melissodes trinodis, and Melissodes vernoniae (Johnson and Colla, 2023)
Complementary Plants: Culver’s Root, Blazingstar, Bee Balm, Purple Giant Hyssop, Flowering Spurge, Blue Vervain
Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023
