The Sticky Seeds of the Beautiful Blackjack Plant are Effective

One of the main flowering plants that I have growing wild on my property are the blackjacks (Bidens pilosa), also known as hairy beggarsticks. The flowers which are most abundant in the fall, but are present most of the year, are pretty little white petaled things with a yellow to orange center. They are a favorite for many of the pollinators because those centers are made up of a bunch of little florets, all of which produce nectar and pollen. I will admit that by the time fall rolls around they can definitely look kind of weedy (and technically they are classified as “weeds”), but overall, I really like them. When they go to seed, though, they can be kind of a pain. The little prongs at the end of each seed are very sticky, and will grab onto almost anything that isn’t rock hard. This includes fur, feathers, and clothing (I have come out of patches of them with the seeds stuck to all my clothes, my camera strap , and even my shoe laces). This stickiness of the seeds is what led to the common name of beggarsticks. It’s also a highly effective way to get the seeds dispersed to new locations each year. Even though the seeds can be kind of a pain, they are actually pretty attractive. You can definitely see the shape of the flowers in the seeds, and the seeds themselves are pretty cool looking. Add that to the fact that pollinators love them and you can kind of understand why I let them grow here each year.