Top native sunflower family members
29 species, native to the US, ranked by caterpillars, then bees and other hosts, food, flowers and shelter.
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Smooth Blue Aster
Symphyotrichum laeve
keystone
caterpillars
89
bees
33
hosts
2
food
19
flowers
269
shelter
1
-
Calico Aster
Symphyotrichum lateriflorum
keystone
caterpillars
77
bees
24
hosts
4
food
16
flowers
273
-
Bushy Aster
Symphyotrichum dumosum
keystone
caterpillars
74
bees
23
hosts
2
food
14
flowers
224
-
Barrens Silky Aster
Symphyotrichum pratense
keystone
caterpillars
56
bees
10
hosts
2
food
11
flowers
174
-
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
keystone
caterpillars
50
bees
51
hosts
4
food
48
flowers
160
shelter
1
-
Small Woodland Sunflower
Helianthus microcephalus
keystone
caterpillars
46
bees
29
hosts
3
food
39
flowers
112
shelter
1
-
Walter's Aster
Symphyotrichum walteri
caterpillars
41
bees
9
hosts
2
food
11
flowers
151
-
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
caterpillars
23
bees
3
hosts
1
food
83
flowers
726
shelter
1
-
Robin's-plantain
Erigeron pulchellus
caterpillars
13
bees
6
hosts
3
food
11
flowers
208
-
Silver Wormwood
Artemisia ludoviciana
caterpillars
10
hosts
6
food
14
flowers
1
-
Lobed Coreopsis
Coreopsis auriculata
caterpillars
6
bees
11
food
2
flowers
90
-
Plains Coreopsis
Coreopsis tinctoria
caterpillars
5
bees
19
food
4
flowers
139
-
Tall Coreopsis
Coreopsis tripteris
caterpillars
5
bees
15
food
3
flowers
133
-
Whorled Coreopsis
Coreopsis verticillata
caterpillars
5
bees
12
food
2
flowers
95
-
Greater Tickseed
Coreopsis major
caterpillars
5
bees
10
food
2
flowers
83
-
Rocky Mountain Zinnia
Zinnia grandiflora
caterpillars
5
food
7
flowers
113
-
Desert Zinnia
Zinnia acerosa
caterpillars
5
food
3
flowers
71
-
Shortray Zinnia
Zinnia anomala
caterpillars
4
food
1
flowers
49
-
Field Pussytoes
Antennaria neglecta
caterpillars
3
hosts
1
food
1
flowers
49
-
Plantain-leaved Pussytoes
Antennaria plantaginifolia
caterpillars
2
hosts
1
food
1
flowers
59
-
Singlehead Pussytoes
Antennaria solitaria
caterpillars
2
hosts
1
flowers
18
-
Blue Mistflower
Conoclinium coelestinum
caterpillars
2
food
1
flowers
196
-
Straggler Daisy
Calyptocarpus vialis
caterpillars
2
flowers
11
-
Great Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
caterpillars
1
bees
7
hosts
1
food
4
flowers
168
-
False Daisy
Eclipta prostrata
caterpillars
1
flowers
3
-
Blackfoot Daisy
Melampodium leucanthum
bees
1
flowers
21
-
Engelmann Daisy
Engelmannia peristenia
flowers
29
-
Northern Green-and-gold
Chrysogonum virginianum
flowers
7
-
Bristleleaf Pricklyleaf
Thymophylla tenuiloba
flowers
3