Joe-pye Weed

This extremely tall perennial native is probably best known as "Joe-pye weed" with many cultivars available from nurseries, but I grew up knowing it as "Queen of the Meadow", and seeing it growing only in meadows and forest edges - usually covered in bees and butterflies. Honeybees in particular find it highly beneficial as a pollen/nectar source in honey production. Its blooms in summer are a smoky pink to mauve; and even before the flowers emerge, you can often identify it by the whorled leaf arrangement on tall stalks.