The Rudbeckia hirta (commonly called Black-Eyed Susan) is Maryland’s state flower
The Rudbeckia hirta (commonly called Black-Eyed Susan) is Maryland’s state flower. This flower is in the sunflower family. Native to North America, it can be found in every state except Alaska and Hawaii. There are actually a few varieties of this flower in the United States, with subtle differences between them.
The flower is fairly tall, growing to 39”. Native Americans were thought to have used the flower in herbal medicine, with unconfirmed claims that it could boost immunity. The Owibwa used the flower to treat snake bites.
I enjoy this photo because of the large grasshopper on the flower. The grasshopper is called a Dissosteira carolina, commonly called a “Carolina grasshopper”. They are one of the largest grasshoppers in North America. However, even though they are large, they still have predators. Birds, praying mantis, bats, wasps, and spiders all prey on these grasshoppers.
Fun fact: Female grasshoppers are usually larger than the males.
Fun fact: It’s no secret grasshoppers can jump far relative to their size. If humans jumped as far as grasshoppers relative to our size, we would jump more than a football field!
Fun fact: black-eyed susans are biennial plants, which means it takes two years to go through their flowering cycle.
On top of the black-eyed susan is a Carolina grasshopper
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