I have occasionally seen this wild native plant (Alternate-leaved Wingstem) in some spots around in southeast Pennsylvania. It grows in moist to mesic soils in bottomlands, woodland edges, riverbanks, roadsides, and meadows-prairies from eastern Ontario & New York & Rhode Island down into Florida to east Texas to Nebraska into Iowa to lower Michigan and back. It is a tall, upright forb from 3 to 8 feet high. Its rough leaves are alternate on the winged stems. Its yellow petals droop down and its flowers bloom in August-September and are loved by many bees, bumblebees, some butterflies, and other insects. It is a pretty plant that is offered by some native plant nurseries as seed or plants. It is not recommended for small gardens as it is aggressive to increase itself. (There is a Crownbeard (V. occidentalis) that is similar except for having opposite leaves and tends to be smaller from Missouri to Pennsylvania and southward.) (There is also a Yellow Crownbeard (V. helianthoides) this is very similar but is shorter, hairier, with more ray florets of 8 to 15 that don't droop, and blooms earlier starting in June.)

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Midwestern wildflower blooming August into October. Habitat - low, moist ground in wooded valleys along streams. Able to form large colonies in bottomland forests of dense yellow patches in September.

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