Our ironweed plants, Vernonia spp., have been buzzing with activity the past several days. They’ve been flowering for more than a week now, providing nectar and pollen for a wide variety of insects. I ...

Editor's note: Once a month, the OSU Extension master gardener's office of Franklin County profiles a plant that occurs naturally in central Ohio. The genus name, Vernonia, is in honor of an English ...

Dozens of monarch butterflies descended on the prairie at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Tuesday, feasting on the nectar of purple ironweed flowers and golden compass plant blossoms. The next day, ...