Black-eyed Susans Sure Signs of Missouri Summer

If there's one wildflower that means Missouri summers to me, it's one of Missouri's hardiest wildflowers, Black-eyed Susans.

Even in this punishing, record-breaking heat, these almost 3-feet tall perennials were covered in long-blooming, hardy yellow flowers, one of the last flowers to show any wilt.

Now I can't blame my neighbor for thinking the center of my Black-eyed Susans were frilly because more often than not, these flowers have visitors.

This next photo makes me chuckle every time I see it. I prefer to not alter my photography but for this next shot, the background was washed out. As I was playing with tweaking the shot, all of a sudden these two big blue eyes were staring at me...
 

Black-eyed Susans are easy to grow from seed. It may take them a year to settle in but once they're happy, they'll bloom almost continuously from mid-summer until frost.

Between bumble bees and fritillaria butterflies, Black-eyed Susans are definitely wonderful bug magnets!