Bearded Beggarticks

Bidens aristosa

Found in marshes, wet meadows, ditches, bogs. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

91

Keystone

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height: 2–4 feet
Spread: 1–2 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 1.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 44 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

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Bidens aristosa — bloom photograph — no rights reserved · CC0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual or biennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: Late summer
Fruiting season: Summer to fall

Recorded in 33 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Georgia pond and emergent wetland — Regional / representative. Shown: Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Georgia; representative pond ecosystem, a neighboring state.Georgia pond and emergent wetland, Robert 'Bob' Hynes, 1997. Public domain. Source record.

Open, wet, grassy or sedgy ground that is not a bog.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 85 animals.

Acadian Flycatcher
Empidonax virescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Alder Flycatcher
Empidonax alnorum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Black Duck
Anas rubripes
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Goldfinch
Carduelis tristis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-and-White Warbler
Mniotilta varia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown-headed Cowbird
Molothrus ater
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Canvasback
Aythya valisineria
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Carolina Wren
Thryothorus ludovicianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cooper's Hawk
Accipiter cooperii
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

24CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Bidens

Cecropterus lyciadesHoary Edge
Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
Cirrhophanus trianguliferGoldenrod Stowaway, Beggarticks Seedcropper
Condica concisaConcise Groundling
Condica confederataThe Confederate
Condica cupentiaSplotched Groundling
Condica mobilisMobile Groundling
Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
Epiblema abruptanaAbrupt Epiblema
Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth

Show all 24

Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
Lorita scarificataChrysanthemum Flower Borer
Nathalis ioleDainty Sulphur, Dwarf Yellow
Palthis asopialisFaint-Spotted Palthis
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
Pyrausta tyralisCoffee-Loving Pyrausta
Scopula aemulataRival Wave
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
Urbanus proteusLong-Tailed Skipper, Bean Leaf Roller

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

76BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Bidens

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

8Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Bidens

Andrena aliciae
Andrena chromotricha
Dianthidium curvatum
Dieunomia heteropoda
Megachile inimica
Megachile parallela
Megachile xylocopoides
Melissodes denticulatus

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

10BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Bidens

Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
Aix sponsaWood Duck
Anas platyrhynchosMallard
Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
Dendrocygna bicolorFulvous Whistling-Duck
Fulica americanaAmerican Coot
Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
Porzana carolinaSora
Rallus limicolaVirginia Rail

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Beetles 5

Chrysomela similis
Diabrotica 12-punctata
Epicauta cinerea
Epicauta pennsylvanica
Rhodobaenus 13-punctatus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Flies 20

Anthrax halcyon
Archytas aterrima
Eristalis latifrons
Exoprosopa decora
Exoprosopa fasciata
Exoprosopa fascipennis
Leskiomima secunda
Milesia ornata
Orthoneura nitida
Peleteria robusta

Show all 20

Physocephala texana
Ptilodexia abdominalis
Robertsonomyia palpalis
Scotiptera parvicornis
Senotainia trilineata
Siphoplagia anomala
Spallanzania hesperidarum
Syrphus americanus
Systropus macer
Zodion fulvifrons

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 9

Anosia plexippus
Argynnis cybele
Heliothis armiger
Limochores taumas
Nathalis iole
Papilio asterias
Phyciodes tharos
Thanaos juvenalis
Vanessa cardui

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 11

Ancistrocerus tigris
Bembix nubillipennis
Bembix spinolae
Bicyrtes 4-fasciata
Bicyrtes ventralis
Cerceris fulvipes
Cerceris prominens
Exetastes suaveolens
Pseudoplisus divisus
Sphex gracilis

Show all 11

Sphex nigricans

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other insects 1

Euschistus variolarius

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Asteraceae
Soil pH: Neutral
Flower color: Yellow
Growth rate: Rapid
Growth habit: Single crown
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Summer
Fruit ends: Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Late summer” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Flower color · “Yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Single crown” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Height · “2–4 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Annual or biennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
primary_flower_color · “yellow” · USDA PLANTS
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs)
Soil pH · “Neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “1–2 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Bearded Beggar Ticks

Conservation status

Alabama rank	Not available
Global rank	G5
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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