From the Middle Neck of Virginia to the Shenandoah Valley and throughout Central Virginia, black-eyed Susans are standing tall and proud – and beautiful. I have never seen such displays of radiant yellow. The friendly wildflowers are simply stunning his year.
It amazes me all that grows beside the roads, along the interstates and back roads. The little strips of dirt between the pavement and fences or berms produce an amazing assortment of colorful weeds and flowers. As I’ve said before, this is because that nasty fescue grass hasn’t taken over, allowing natural grasses and plants to flourish.
The black-eyed Susan is a native of North America, found in each of the contiguous 48 states, plus all the provinces in Canada. It is widely cultivated, but the hardy plant grows wild whenever it can find available soil, like along the interstates. Interestingly, the lovely flower is in the sunflower family. It generally grows from about 12- to 39-inches tall, but I have seen some four foot stalks this summer. Conditions must be ideal.
The black-eyed Susan, also known as a yellow daisy, brown betty and ox-eye daisy, was designated the state flower of Maryland, and in the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, Marylanders proudly refer to the Preakness as a “Run for the Black-Eyed Susans.”
It’s funny with wildflowers. Every week from March through November, there is always something blooming beside the roads. Right now, it’s black-eyed Susans, and for sheer beauty, they are hard to beat.
