Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta L.)

This bright and cheerful wildflower can be found across most of the US with its bright yellow daisy-like flowers with dark centers. This native prarie biennial forms a rosette of leaves in its first year followed by flowers the second year. 
This is an important flower to bees, butterflies, insects, and birds. 
American Indians made tea from the roots of the Black-eyed Susan to expel worms, colds; external wash for sores, snakebites, swelling; and root juice for earaches. 
It is also an important component in critical area treatment plantings for areas subject to erosion.

​Below is the Kenwood Acres field at Wooster Memorial Park.