Do you have something growing in your yard that looks like this in early May?
Here is another picture of the same plant in another yard. In this picture you see why it is called Rudbeckia triloba. Many if its leaves are “three lobed.” Not all though — the shape of the leaf can vary considerably. Other names for it are “thin-leaf coneflower” and “brown-eyed susan.”
If you ARE lucky enough to have some of this in your yard, put a little fence around it right away to prevent it from being mowed. Come August or so, it will look like this:
These flowers are loved by goldfinches and many pollinators such as butterflies.
They are especially wonderful blooming in large masses:
If you gaze closely at a mass of them, you can become a little “hypnotized” and swear they are looking back at you. No flower expresses more wonderfully the “joy of being alive.”
Reedy Creek Coalition 