Heterotheca villosa, June 8, 2020
H. pumila, July 28, 2020
Common & scientific name
Hairy golden aster, Heterotheca villosa
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Above winter gate, 8,550’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
While all guide books describe this plant as “highly variable” (in size, leaf shape, hairiness, etc.), it is easily identifiable by its strongly pungent smell, location (dry, exposed places, often roadside), and its numerous yellow flowers atop a mound of grayish-green leaves. Its alpine cousin, H. pumila, looks similar (and they may interbreed), but it generally has larger yellow flowers and, well, grows higher. I tried for years to distinguish these two species, but have now decided not to make the perfect the enemy of the good: if it’s up high, it’s H. pumila, if it’s not, it’s H. villosa.