prairie wildflower

New York ironweed

Vernonia noveboracensis

Native to the Northeast and the Southeast

Massachusetts to Ohio, south to Georgia and Mississippi; more common near the coast

Light Full sun Sun tolerance
Moisture Moist Moisture preference
Zones 5–8 Cold to heat range
Bloom Jul–Sep Flowering time
Height up to 7 ft to 2.1 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

In the garden

A prairie wildflower for full sun and evenly moist soil. Its red and purple flowers peak in August. At up to 7 ft, it needs room in meadows and sunny borders. Hardy in USDA zones 5–8.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

When it blooms

The New York ironweed's red and purple flowers bloom July to September, peaking in August. This late-summer display draws butterflies and bees.

New York ironweed blooms red & purpleFoliage

Pollinators & wildlife

Butterflies Monarch

also Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Gulf Fritillary, Red Admiral +29 more
Black Swallowtail, Pearl Crescent, Common Buckeye, Fiery Skipper, Silver-spotted Skipper, Painted Lady, American Lady, Orange Sulphur, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Great Spangled Fritillary, Spicebush Swallowtail, Zabulon Skipper, Clouded Sulphur, Eastern Black Swallowtail, Peck's Skipper, Horace's Duskywing, Common Wood-Nymph, Dun Skipper, Least Skipper, Wild Indigo Duskywing, Tawny-edged Skipper, Broad-winged Skipper, Crossline Skipper, Swarthy Skipper, Epargyreus clarus clarus, Papilio cresphontes, Danaus plexippus plexippus, Panoquina ocola, Leonard's Skipper
Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Eastern Carpenter Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee +28 more
American Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee, Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee, Pure Green Sweat bee, Bombus fervidus, Two-spotted Longhorn Bee, European Woolcarder Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Brown-winged Striped Sweat Bee, Carpenter-mimic Leafcutter Bee, Sculptured Resin Bee, Spurred Ceratina, Dark-veined Longhorn Bee, broad-handed leafcutter bee, Eastern Thistle Longhorn Bee, Texas Leafcutter Bee, Silky Striped Sweat Bee, Denticulate Longhorn Bee, Megachile inimica, Squash Longhorn-Cuckoo, Megachile inimica sayi, Eight-spotted Fairy Bee, Sunflower Cuckoo Nomad Bee, Pseudoanthidium nanum, Megachile pugnata pugnata, Xylocopa virginica virginica, Lunate Longhorn-cuckoo Bee, Lasioglossum pilosum
Moths Virginian Tiger Moth

also Fall Webworm Moth, Snowberry Clearwing, Yellow-collared Scape Moth +10 more
Wavy-lined and Southern Emeralds, Hummingbird Clearwing, Confused Eusarca Moth, Ipsilon Dart Moth, Dark-spotted Palthis Moth, Squash Vine Borer, Basswood Leafroller Moth, Red Groundling Moth, Wheat Head Armyworm, Virginia Creeper Sphinx
Also visited by
- Flower flies:
  
  Eastern Calligrapher, Oblique Streaktail +1 more
  Eurasian Drone Fly
- Beetles: Asian Lady Beetle, Spotted Cucumber Beetle
- Hummingbirds: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Wasps: Eastern Yellowjacket

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: PrairieThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: The Northeast and the SoutheastUnited States (18): AL, CT, DC, DE, GA, KY, MA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, WV. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Massachusetts to Ohio, south to Georgia and Mississippi; more common near the coastThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Full sunHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 5–8 · Canadian 6–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Is found in moist soils in the wild, but will flourish in regular or dry soil. Tolerates clay and neutral to acidic conditionsThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: 4.5–8.0The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Soil quality: MediumHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
Water use: MediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
Drought tolerance: MediumRelative to plants of the same type and region, inferred from where it grows, not a days-without-water figure.
Salinity tolerance: NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: MediumHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.

Growth & form

Height: up to 7 ft (to 2.1 m)Typical mature height.
Spread: ~3 ft (1 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: ModerateA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Shape: ErectIts overall silhouette.
Root depth: 6+ in (15+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Jul–SepWhen it flowers.
Flower color: Red, PurpleThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: Achene; ripens Aug–NovThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.

Propagation & seed

Cold stratification: Not requiredWhether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
Propagation: Container, seedHow to start new plants.
Seed: ~0.3 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
Seed spread rate: ModerateHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
Seedling vigor: MediumHow strongly young seedlings establish.
Vegetative spread: NoneWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.