If you are searching for a native plant that has stunning blossoms, provides food for pollinators, and is a butterfly host plant, look at the black-eyed Susan.

       I doubt there is a Georgia gardener that cannot identify the black-eyed Susan.  It provides beauty to the countryside and backyard gardens alike.  It also does well in containers; my wife has raised black-eyed Susans in large containers on our deck for the last couple of years.  While we enjoy the beauty the plants provide just outside our backdoor, we also like the fact its blooms are favorite dining spots for many pollinators.  While we occasionally see butterflies such as pearl crescents on the blooms, small bees seem to visit the blossoms more often than any other insects.

       On top of all of these virtues, this tall native plant also serves as a host plant for the silvery checkerspot butterfly.

       If you do not have the black-eyed Susan growing in your gardens, give this one a try.