This toxic native woodland flower is blooming everywhere right now
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Native Plants
The clusters of small white flowers popping up in the shady, disturbed edges of your neighborhood woods are white snakeroot, a native plant that's toxic to livestock and famously linked to 19th-century "milk sickness" deaths, so it's worth learning to identify even though you shouldn't touch or eat it.
White snakeroot is a native woodland wildflower that's suddenly showing up all over iNaturalist, with 1,450 confirmed sightings logged in a single week. It's blooming right now in shady spots and along forest edges, easy to spot thanks to its fuzzy white flower clusters. Fun fact for plant nerds: this is the plant that poisoned cows' milk and killed Abraham Lincoln's mother, so admire it from a distance.
Key Findings
1,450 research-grade observations of white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) were logged on iNaturalist in one week
The species is currently one of the most-observed plants on the platform, indicating a strong late-summer/early-fall bloom period
White snakeroot is native to eastern North America and thrives in shaded, disturbed woodland habitats
chevron_right Technical Summary
White snakeroot is having a big moment on iNaturalist, with 1,450 people logging research-grade sightings of it this week as the plant hits peak bloom across shady woodlands and edges.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) — 1450 observations this week
white snakeroot is among the most observed plant species this week with 1450 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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