MW4M web Coreopsis - Make Way for Monarchs

A natural history/meditation from “Monarchs and Milkweeds Almanac” by Ina Warren
Coreopsis
Driving to a local nursery, I idly plan how many tall, rangy asters I can cram into my Toyota
hatchback. Quite a few really, more than in any other car I’ve owned. I’m sorry we didn’t learn garden
math and geometry in school. “If the back of your car is 4 feet wide, and 3 feet from bumper to back of
the front seats, and an average of 3 feet high, how many 8-inch pots of asters 4 feet tall by 2 feet wide
will fit if (1) you lay them side by side, (2) crisscross them on top of one another, or (3) arrange them
head to foot?”
- Diane Ackerman, Cultivating Delight
What’s in a name:
Coreopsis spp. Tickseed;
Dye Flowers; Lady’s Breast Pin;
Old Maid’s Breast Pin; Wild Flax;
koris>bedbug; opsis>eye
Sometimes called Calliopsis
(new Latin> beautiful eyes)
That name really ticks me off: The
name Tickseed comes from its flat
small fruits (achenes) that are
roundish in shape with two short
spines that give it a bug-like look.
There she comes,
Miss Per- en- ni -al  :
1992 Perennial of the Year:
Moonbeam Coreopsis - winner of
the beauty pageant for best all
around, exhibiting charm and
grace and working toward
eliminating hunger in the butterfly
patch. Also in 1991, Coreopsis was
named both the NC Wildflower of
the Year and Florida’s official
wildflower.
All in the Family: Aster Family
1314 genera; 21,000 species
Common names in Mexico:
acetilla; acahualillo te de milpa;
Masequia; chipaca
Caterpillar Café:
Common Tan Wave
There are 1.4 million Coreopsis
seeds per pound! That’s 20,000
seeds/oz!
2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate?:
Coreopsis generally has 8 showy
ray flowers and show-y they are.
Their names are richer than
Howard Hues... Cultivar names to
entice you: Crème Brûlée;
Pinwheel, Moonbeam; Early
Sunrise; Sonnekind; Little Sundial,
Tequila Sunrise, Autumn Blush...
And Mouse-ear Coreopsis?
Now I ask you, how cute is that?
photo of Threadleaf Coreopsis
(C. verticillata) by Chrumps
at wikimedia.org
A veritable koris-copia:
Coreopsis seed is a common
ingre die nt in canne d native
wildflower mixes. It is a great
flower for urban roof gardens since
it tolerates intense heat and low
soil fertility. As lovely as they are,
they are generally short-lived and
may only last a few seasons.
A koris line at the Grand ole coreyopsis: Coreopsis self seeds. To
some folks that sends up a flare
regarding their becoming invasive.
To others, it is cause for celebration
for free plants with showy flowers
that are easy to grow and share.
Ain’t gonna mow No-Mo, NoMo zone…: Check out Iowa’s Living
Roadway program and their
children’s program with a little
Coreopsis flower called Corey!
www.iowalivingroadway.com/
KidsAndEducation.aspx
Glorious masses of this prolific
bloomer persistently outshine
all rivals in the garden beds
throughout the summer.
Cut as many slender-stalked
flowers and buds as you will for
vases indoors, cut them by armfuls,
and two more soon appear for
every one taken…
Bees and flies, attracted by the
showy neutral rays which are borne
solely for advertising purposes,
unwittingly cross-fertilize the
heads as they crawl over the tiny,
tubular, perfect florets massed
together in the central disk;
for some of these florets having
the pollen pushed upward by hair
brushes and exposed for the
visitor's benefit, while others have
their sticky style branches
spread to receive any vitalizing
dust brought to them,
it follows that quantities of
vigorous seed must be set.
- Mrs. Neltje Blanchan, 1900
Good night, sleep tight.
Don’t let the koris bite.
For range map, see: http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=COVE5