Audubon® Native Ox-eyed Sunflower

Petal Power! Oxeye Sunflower just won’t stop. This enthusiastic native Spirit will pump out its cheery golden flowers for weeks and weeks each summer, much to the delight of your backyard pollinators. Underappreciated natives like digger bees, mining bees, leafcutter bees, sweat bees, and carpenter bees will get right to work, alongside the more familiar honey bees and bumblebees. In fall, the bees’ job is done, but Oxeye Sunflower keeps on giving. This time it’s seeds for the finches, sparrows, and juncos. You’ll enjoy watching the birds from your patio as they dig in.

Oxeye Sunflower seems to like people—it often appears where the soil has been disturbed in some way. It certainly likes to be invited into our gardens, where it performs like a champ. Handsome, easygoing, and floriferous, it looks at home in formal borders and in naturalistic gardens alike. In the wild, Oxeye Sunflower is found in all of the lower 48 states east of the Rockies (except for Florida), and in central to eastern Canada. It occasionally escapes the garden and reseeds into surrounding areas, but it is never invasive.

Several of our native bee species nest in flower stems over the winter, and Oxeye Sunflower is one plant they use. Don’t be too fastidious about “cleaning up” the garden in fall! Our hardworking insects need those spaces to survive.

Audubon is devoted to protecting birds and the places they need, while Bower & Branch is devoted to the growth of true native trees and plants–no cultivars or hybrids. Together, we strive to unite communities in conservation and inspire individuals to cultivate a better world for birds starting in their own backyards, balconies, or patios. By guiding and recommending trees and plants truly native and beneficial to your region, we can really start to make a difference.

What is the definition of Native?

“In the United States, a native plant is defined as one that was naturally found in a particular area before European colonization. Native plants are the foundation of a region’s biodiversity, providing essential food sources and shelter for birds, especially those threatened by the changing climate. Since native plants are adapted to local precipitation and soil conditions, they generally require less upkeep, therefore helping the environment and saving you time, water, and money.” – The National Audubon Society

Learn how you can help birds in your home and community through Audubon’s Plants for Birds program.

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