The Mighty Cup Plant
A favorite of goldfinches
If you are looking to plant a hardy and vigorous native to attract pollinators and birds, you may want to consider the cup plant. The cup plant’s name comes from its ability to hold water in the leaves intersecting its large square stem.
Its yellow flowers start blooming in July attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.
By the end of August the flower heads start drying up and producing seed for birds.
The cup plant will grow tall - up to 10 feet - especially with full sun and moist soils. It is best to be planted where its tall height will not block views and it can be left standing as long as possible. When it dies in the fall, it creates quite a bit of plant litter including large stems that do not decompose quickly. So it can leave a messy appearance although messy is often good for the insects that overwinter in the plant mass. This is a plant that can be grown by harvesting seed in the fall and scattering them to overwinter and sprout in the spring. All in all, it is a rather easy native to cultivate.
