Don Croner’s Wanders on the Great Allegheny (GAP) Bike Trail | Flora | Black-eyed and Brown-eyed Susans

Two Susans occur along the GAP:

 Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

 Botanical Classification

- Scientific name: Rudbeckia hirta

• Family: Asteraceae (Aster/Sunflower family)

- Life cycle: Biennial or short-lived perennial (sometimes behaves as annual)

 Physical Characteristics

Size:

- Height: 2-4 feet (60-120 cm)

- Spread: 1-2 feet (30-60 cm)

Flowers:

- Size: Large—2.5-4 inches across (6-10 cm)

- Ray petals: Yellow, golden-yellow to orange (8-21 rays)

- Center disk: Dark brown to black, dome-shaped and prominent

- Bloom time: June to October (late summer through fall)

- Fewer but larger flowers per plant

Leaves:

- Basal leaves: 10-18 cm long, mostly unlobed

- Larger leaves overall (3-7 inches long)

- Covered in coarse, stiff hairs giving rough texture[3][1]

- "Hirta" means "hairy" in Latin—referring to the bristly trichomes

Stems:

- Stout, branching, hairy stems[1]

- Usually over 8 inches long[4]

 Habitat & Distribution

- Native to eastern and central North America

- Found in all 48 contiguous states and all 10 Canadian provinces

- Grows in prairies, meadows, roadsides, disturbed areas

- Tolerates: Heat, drought, poor soil, wide pH range

• State flower of Maryland

 Black-eyed Susan

 Black-eyed Susan

 Black-eyed Susan

 Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba)

 Botanical Classification

- Scientific name: Rudbeckia triloba

- Family: Asteraceae (Aster/Sunflower family)

- Common names: Brown-eyed Susan, three-lobed coneflower, thin-leaved coneflower, branched coneflower

- Life cycle: Biennial or short-lived perennial

 Physical Characteristics

Size:

- Height: Taller—2-5 feet (can reach up to 5 feet

- Spread: 1-1.5 feet (narrower than black-eyed

- Bushy, open, branched appearance

Flowers:

- Size: Smaller—1-2 inches across (about 1/3 the size of black-eyed)

- Ray petals: Deep golden yellow, 6-13 shorter, wider rays

- Center disk: Dark purple-brown to jet-black, button-shaped, flattened cone (slightly lighter than black-eyed)

- Bloom time: Later season—late summer through fall (July-October), until hard frost

- More numerous flowers covering the entire plan

- Longer blooming period

Leaves:

- Distinctive three-lobed basal leaves (hence "triloba")

- Upper leaves: Smaller, lance-shaped, often unlobed

- Thinner, more delicate leaves than black-eyed

- 2-4 inches long, ½-2 inches wide

- Covered in bristly hairs but less coarse than black-eye

Stems:

- Many-branched stems creating masses of flowers

- Bristly hairy, often reddish-green

- "Country cousin" appearance—more sprawling

 Habitat & Distribution

- Native to eastern and central United States (New York to Florida, west to Minnesota, Utah, Texas)

- Prairies, woodland borders, thickets, rocky slopes, roadsides

- Prefers moist soil but adaptable

- Hardy zones 3-10 (very adaptable)

How to Tell Them Apart in the Field

 Quick Visual Cues:

1. Flower size is the giveaway

   - If the bloom is as big as your palm → Black-eyed Susan

   - If the bloom is 1/3 that size → Brown-eyed Susan

2. Look at the leaves

   - Large, hairy, mostly unlobed → Black-eyed Susan

   - Three-lobed basal leaves, thinner overall → Brown-eyed Susan

3. Count the flowers

   - A few big, bold flowers → Black-eyed Susan

   - Plant covered in masses of smaller flowers → Brown-eyed Susan

4. Growth habit

   - Sturdy, upright, well-behaved → Black-eyed Susan

   - Bushy, branching, sprawling → Brown-eyed Susan

Ecological & Garden Value

Both species are outstanding for:

- Naturalized plantings and meadows

- Pollinator gardens

- Native plant gardens

- Cottage gardens (especially brown-eyed)

- Roadsides and disturbed areas

- Prairie restoration

- Butterfly gardens

- Cut flower gardens

Historical/Medical Note: Native Americans used Rudbeckia hirta medicinally, though the plant is toxic to cats. Both species have been used in folk medicine.

 Along the GAP

Given that the Great Allegheny Passage runs through prime habitat for both species—disturbed roadsides, woodland edges, open meadows, old fields—you'll encounter both along your journey. 

Look for:

- Black-eyed Susan (R. hirta) in sunnier, more open areas with those big, bold 3-4 inch flowers

- Brown-eyed Susan (R. triloba) in slightly shadier woodland borders and thickets, creating clouds of smaller blooms in late summer

Both are quintessential late-summer sights along the GAP—cheerful yellow beacons that brighten the landscape just as other wildflowers are fading into autumn.

 Brown-eyed Susan

Brown-eyed Susan

Brown-eyed Susan

Brown-eyed Susan

Don Croner’s Wanders on the Great Allegheny Passage Bike Trail | Flora | Asters

GAPERs on the trail after Labor Day will be rewarded with numerous displays of asters, perennial flowering plants belonging to the daisy family Asteraceae, known for their vivid flowers and late blooming period. All of these asters are natives of North America, and they claim their rightful place along the GAP after dominant invasives like dandelion, garlic mustard, dame’s rocket, and others have shed their flowers and hung their heads for the season. The name "aster" comes from the Greek word for "star",  the shape of their flower heads. Many once belonged to the genus Aster, but most North American species have been reclassified. The lovely azure aster was once Aster azureus but is now Symphyotrichum oolentangiense. This plant thrives on the edge of the GAP and is a dominant Autumn plant in some areas. The big leaf aster, Eurybia macrophylla, is less common on the verges of the GAP but is easily found in adjacent hardwood forests. This delicate beauty is worth looking for. The gorgeous blue wood aster is another plant worth pursuing, although it is a bit more shy and elusive than its cousins. The bog aster (Symphyotrichum boreale), as the name implies, can be found in bogs, wet meadows, and on the edges of swamps, along the GAP. The mountain aster (Oclemena acuminata) occurs in well-drained hardwood forests throughout the Eastern United States. And don’t forget to look for the awl aster, Symphyotrichum pilosum.

Azure Aster

Azure Aster

Big Leaf Aster

Big Leaf Aster

Blue Wood Aster

Blue Wood Aster

 Bog Aster

 Bog Aster

Mountain Aster 

Awl Aster

 

Don Croner’s Wanders on the Great Allegheny Passage | Flora | Bloodroot

Bloodroot is a perennial native to Eastern North America. It is an early bloomer, sometimes flowering by the beginning of April. Its white flowers are so attractive that it is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental, especially by gardeners who want an early-flowering plant in their gardens. Along the GAP it most commonly occurs in moist woods and along the banks of small streams. The plant gets its name from the red sap of its roots, which is poisonous, as are the leaves, which are eaten by few if any herbivores. The active ingredient in the sap has been touted as a cancer cure, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration includes supplements containing bloodroot extract in its list of “187 Fake Cancer 'Cures' Consumers Should Avoid.” Also, the flowers do not produce nectar, making them unattractive to bees. GAPers are advised to admire the beautiful flowers, but leave the rest of the plant alone.

04.14.25

04.14.25

Wanders on the Great Allegheny Passage | Flora | Artemisia

There are numerous species of artemisia worldwide, perhaps the best-known being Artemisia vulgaris, commonly known as mugwort; Artemisia absinthium, or wormwood, one of the main ingredients in the psychoactive alcoholic drink absinthe, long banned in the United States because of its alleged hallucinogenic properties but now once again legal; and Artemisia ludoviciana, or white sage, famous for its use in Native American smudging ceremonies. 

The species that occurs in profusion along the GAP is probably Artemisia verlotiorum. A native of Eurasia, it was named after the brothers Jean Baptiste and Pierre Verlot, who in 1877 identified it as a different species from Artemisia vulgaris,   although it has much the same medicinal and magical properties. The name of the genus is derived from Artemis, the Greek Goddess of the Moon. Paradoxically, Artemis is associated with both wild animals and the hunt (she and her twin brother Apollo are in Greek mythology credited with inventing the bow and arrow) and with childbirth and the care of children. She is often regarded as a protector of women in general. Her Roman form, Diana, is both the Goddess of the Hunt and the Protectress of Virginity. 

The medicinal and magical lore involving the various species of artemisia around the world, including Artemisia verlotiorum, is vast. Known as the “Mother of Herbs”,  artemisia is traditionally associated with women, and infusions, decoctions, and tinctures of artemisia leaves have been used to ease menstrual pain, aid childbirth, and support menopause. Both men and women have used artemisia to treat high blood pressure, improve circulation, and as a bitter tonic to stimulate digestion. Apart from its medicinal qualities, a simple infusion of Artemisia sweetened with maple syrup is a flavorful substitute for tea when used in moderation.

The crushed leaves of artemisia have a very distinctive smell.  Burned as incense,  the dried leaves are famous in many cultures worldwide for dispelling negative energy and warding off malignant spirits and other malevolent entities, including hostile human beings. (Raccoons, it should be noted, are not repulsed by artemisia; despite their bandit-like masks and propensity for mischief and thievery they are essentially benign creatures with an admirable family life.) Sachets of artemisia can also be worn around the neck or elsewhere on the body to repulse negative influences.  Fresh leaves placed under a pillow while one is sleeping are said to prevent nightmares and encourage lucid dreaming. If GAPers do nothing else, they should crush a handful of leaves and breathe in artemisia’s intriguing aroma. 

Young artemisia growing among the previous year’s stalks. 05.05.25

Artemisia grows in profusion along the GAP. 06.25.25

Flowering artemisia. 09.16.25

Flowering artemisia. 10.09.25

Flowering artemisia. 10.12.25

Dried leaves of artemisia make excellent incense.

Don Croner’s Wanders on the Great Allegheny Passage | Flora |Goldenrods

There are at least seventy-five species of goldenrods (genus Solidago) native to North America. You are likely to encounter four goldenrods of the genus Solidago, plus another of the genus Euthamia, along the GAP. The goldenrod season opens in July with the appropriately named early goldenrod (Solidago juncea). Usually three to four feet tall, it has showy plumes of golden-yellow flowers, unlikely to be mistaken for any other plant. Fairly common on the GAP, is seems for some reason to be even more common along roads that cross the GAP, in some places thickly lining roads for hundreds of yards. 

Early Goldenrod

Early Goldenrod

Towards the end of July and into the middle of August the flat-topped goldenrod  (Euthamia graminifolia) makes its appearance. Although called a goldenrod, it belongs to the genus Euthamia, unlike other goldenrods. Three to four feet tall, its flowers consist of florets arrayed in a  flat circle, rather than in a plume like most other goldenrods. 

Throughout August the wrinkled-leaf goldenrod flowers. Although its showy plumes are not unlike early goldenrod, its leaves have a distinctive wrinkled look, and the leaves and stems tend to be a darker green than other goldenrods. 

Wrinkled-leaf Goldenrod

Wrinkled-leaf Goldenrod

The signature plant of Autumn, the aptly-named tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima), flowers from the beginning of September to well into October. It can get up to six or seven feet tall and is extravagantly adorned with flamboyant plumes of yellow flowers. It grows in profusion along the GAP and often entirely covers adjacent meadows. This is one plant you cannot miss if you travel on the GAP after the first of September. 

Meadow full of Tall Goldenrod

Tall Goldenrod

Tall Goldenrod

Less obvious is the woodland goldenrod (Solidago caesia). Unlike most other goldenrods,  usually found in open, sunny areas, woodland goldenrod prefers, as the name implies, the shady floor of hardwood forests. It’s the smallest goldenrod, often two feet tall or less, seldom exceeding three, and its delicately flowered plumes are modest compared to its more flamboyantly showy cousins. 

Woodland Goldenrod

Woodland Goldenrod

Woodland Goldenrod