Correct. You don’t see any butterflies in this photograph. What you do see is a wildflower that nurtures butterflies across most of the continental United States.

This ‘weedy’ plant is now in bloom here in Pennsylvania and its siren scent draws many, many species of butterflies to its tiny pinkish flowers.

I’ve always been fascinated by why some perfectly attractive species of wildflowers draw few if any butterflies, bees and flies. By comparison other gnarly-looking wildflowers are packed with hungry fliers!

Dipsacus fullonum is not that easy on the eye, I think. It’s nectar must be hard to resist, though. From 8:30 in the morning and for the next 2 hours, teasel is heavily visited.

It’s not native to this continent, but it sure has made itself at home here, growing along roadsides and in fields.

Teasel serves as a solitary sentry during winter, prickly stem with dried flowerhead enduring the severest of frozen winter wind.

So teasel nourishes our winged beauties across there U.S….and is here to stay. Teasel.

Jeffrey