The "weed" in your lawn is quietly feeding thousands of bumblebees
iNaturalist Community
Citizen Science
Selfheal is almost certainly already growing in your lawn or garden path and most people pull it without a second thought, but it blooms through summer, feeds native bumblebees, and has a centuries-long record of medicinal use in multiple cultures.
Common selfheal is a small purple-flowered plant that spreads along the ground in yards, parks, and roadsides, and right now thousands of people across the country are photographing and identifying it in the same week. It's the kind of plant most folks mow over without realizing it's there, even though bees love it and herbalists have used it for generations. The flood of observations tells botanists and ecologists where it's showing up and how its flowering season is shifting as climates change.
Key Findings
1191 research-grade observations were logged on iNaturalist in a single week, marking selfheal as one of the most actively observed plant species during that period.
Prunella vulgaris is a circumboreal species present across temperate North America, Europe, and Asia, making the observation spike a geographically broad signal rather than a localized bloom event.
The species peaks in midsummer bloom, aligning this observation surge with its flowering phenology and suggesting the data reflects active pollinator-season spotting.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Common selfheal, a low-growing wildflower found in lawns, meadows, and woodland edges across North America and Europe, surged to 1191 research-grade citizen-science observations in a single week, placing it among the most-watched plants on iNaturalist right now.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: common selfheal (Prunella vulgaris) — 1191 observations this week
common selfheal is among the most observed plant species this week with 1191 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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Prunella vulgaris, the common self-heal, heal-all, woundwort, heart-of-the-earth, carpenter's herb, brownwort or blue curls, is an herbaceous flowering plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae).