Fleabane is the cutest little miniature flower!
I remember this one from when I was a kid, when my sister and I crawled around in ditches (country kids do that sort of thing) and we noticed flowers a lot more … but we never knew what its name was.
Enter Shirley Miller, Master Gardener Coordinator, who identified fleabane and most of the specimens from this series, and whose expert help I am so, so grateful for. Having the real, official name kept me from resorting to nicknames for the flowers I found and photographed (I had been calling fleabane “little eyelash daisies,” which I still think gets right to the heart of their charm but is definitely isn’t used commonly … or by anyone other than me).
Shirley works in Mills County with the Iowa State University Extension program, which is an extraordinary resource – there’s an extension office in each county that supports folks there with research and education opportunities, sharing a lot of Iowa State’s knowledge and expertise. The extension offices are also the driving force behind Iowa’s 4-H program, which is dear to my heart because that’s where I got my first education in photography many years ago. 4-H and the Iowa Extension program are wonderful organizations, and really worthy of your support!
But back to fleabane: the burning question is does it really repel fleas? Unfortunately, probably not – I went looking for an answer and found a number of references reporting that it was claimed to do so in the olden days, but no modern sources seemed willing to back up the claim. So we’ll have to appreciate fleabane for its cute little eyelash flowers rather than any effect it might have on pests.
Fleabane, Erigeron
Shoot date: August 3, 2019
Possible use as a cut flower: It holds in water for day or two but gets a little ragged after the first day.
