Eupatorium

Fall is the season when we see many butterflies migrating through Central Texas on their way South. These pollinators appreciate our native plants that bloom when the days get shorter.

Two of my favorite native plants that attract butterflies and bloom in the fall are Gregg’s Mistflower and Late Blooming Boneset. Both of these plants are in the genus Eupatorium which is under the aster family.

Gregg’s Mistflower (Eupatorium greggii--recently reclassified as Conoclinium greggii ) is a groundcover that gets to be 1.5 feet tall. The lavender fuzzy flowers attract Queen Butterflies in high numbers. I remember the first time I noticed a plot of Gregg’s Mistflower at Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center when it was covered with Queen Butterflies. Queen Butterflies are often confused by novice observers with Monarch Butterflies because they are both orangish brown with black edges. The Queen Butterflies don’t have the pronounced black netting pattern and they have many more white spots.

Gregg’s Mistflower spreads by rhizomes and you should be prepared for it to roam. Plant it in sun or partial shade. The deer eat mine. It dies back in the winter, but will come back in the spring. As a native I never water it or feed it.

However, I do pull it out when it invades areas I do not want it to occupy.

Late Blooming Boneset (Eupatorium serotinum) is a native shrub that grows 4 to 5 feet tall. Other names for it include Thoroughwort, and White Boneset. In the fall it forms dense white flower heads made up of many tiny flowers. The fragrant flowers are said to make it somewhat deer resistant, although I have had no personal experience with it in the deer accessible locations. It prefers a partly shaded location and as a native plant it requires no special maintenance.

Written by Jackie Mattice, Hays County Master Naturalist