Arkansas Sneezeweed (Helenium campestre) - Local

Arkansas Sneezeweed is a low-maintenance self-seeding perennial that forms bright yellow flowers during spring. It's a highlight of central Arkansas mesic grasslands that commonly gets misidentified as Helenium flexuosum. It's pretty much only found in central Arkansas, aside from two disjunct parishes in Louisiana, and often gets misidentified as Helenium flexuosum. It has blooms a little over 2 inches, the long droopy petals, and blooms earlier in the season than H. Flexuosum. The foliage contains a bitter-tasting toxin known as Helenalin, which makes the plant deer and rabbit-resistant. Helenium provides nectar for both long-tongued bees and short-tongued bees, as well as wasps, flies, butterflies, and skippers. It's also an important host plant for many moths and butterflies that host on members of the Asteraceae family.