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Woodland Sunflower

Helianthus divaricatus

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in moist to dry woodlands and forests, forest edges. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

100
Keystone

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

Profile 100%

Height
2–6 feet
Spread
1–3 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Dry to average

Space about 2 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 25 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Summer

Recorded in 35 Arkansas 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

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

Forest edges and thickets

Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 40 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (58)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Arkansas

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

79CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · Helianthus

  • Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
  • Adaina ambrosiaeAmbrosia Plume Moth, Ragweed Plume Moth
  • Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
  • Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
  • Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Chlosyne gorgoneGorgone Checkerspot
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Show all 79
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Cochylichroa hospesBanded Sunflower Moth
  • Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
  • Cucullia speyeriSpeyer's Cucullia, Speyer's Paint
  • Dichomeris flavocostellaCream-Edged Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris inserrataIndented Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
  • Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
  • Euxoa messoriaReaper Dart, Darksided Cutworm, Dark-Sided Cutworm
  • Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
  • Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
  • Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Manduca rusticaRustic Sphinx
  • Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
  • Oedemasia leptinoidesBlack-Blotched Schizura
  • Ogdoconta cinereolaCommon Pinkband Groundling
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Pelochrista scintillanaSpangled Pelochrista
  • Phtheochroa birdanaBird's Cochylid
  • Phyciodes tharosPearl Crescent, Crescentspot
  • Plagiomimicus spumosumFrothy Moth
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Ponometia semiflavaHalf-Yellow Bird-Dropping Moth, Half-Yellow Moth
  • Ponometia tortricinaX
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Rachiplusia ouGray Looper
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
  • Stiria rugifronsSunflower Seedcropper, Yellow Sunflower Moth
  • Suleima helianthanaSunflower Bud Moth
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
  • Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
  • Vanessa virginiensisAmerican Lady, American Painted Lady
  • Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
  • Astrotischeria helianthi
  • Bucculatrix fusicola
  • Bucculatrix magnella
  • Bucculatrix needhami
  • Dichomeris vindex
  • Eucosma sombreana
  • Frechinia helianthiales
  • Isophrictis similiella
  • Landryia matutella
  • Pelochrista milleri
  • Pelochrista womonana
  • Platphalonidia lavana
  • Platynota nigrocervina
  • Sitochroa dasconalis
  • Teladoma helianthi
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
69BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Helianthus

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
44Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Helianthus

  • Andrena aliciae
  • Andrena asteris
  • Andrena braccata
  • Andrena chromotricha
  • Andrena haynesi
  • Andrena simplex
  • Colletes birkmanni
  • Colletes compactus
  • Colletes rufocinctus
  • Colletes simulans
Show all 44
  • Diadasia enavata
  • Dianthidium curvatum
  • Dieunomia heteropoda
  • Dieunomia triangulifera
  • Dufourea marginata
  • Hesperapis carinata
  • Megachile fortis
  • Megachile inimica
  • Megachile parallela
  • Megachile pugnata
  • Megachile xylocopoides
  • Melissodes bidentis
  • Melissodes coloradensis
  • Melissodes coreopsis
  • Melissodes denticulatus
  • Melissodes dentiventris
  • Melissodes desponsus
  • Melissodes illatus
  • Melissodes manipularis
  • Melissodes subillatus
  • Melissodes trinodis
  • Melissodes wheeleri
  • Paranthidium jugatorium
  • Perdita albipennis
  • Perdita bruneri
  • Perdita heliophila
  • Perdita laticincta
  • Perdita pratti
  • Perdita swenki
  • Perdita tridentata
  • Protandrena andrenoides
  • Protandrena piercei
  • Protandrena simulans
  • Trachusa zebrata
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
23BirdsRecorded eating Helianthus in Arkansas

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Arkansas, most records first.

Show all 23
Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Flies 8
  • Anthrax halcyon
  • Anthrax palliata
  • Exoprosopa decora
  • Geron rufipes
  • Milesia ornata
  • Robertsonomyia palpalis
  • Systoechus vulgaris
  • Zodion fulvifrons

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 1
  • Limochores taumas

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 4
  • Cerceris rufinoda
  • Leionotus arvensis
  • Sphex nigricans
  • Stictiella pictifrons

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Other insects

Birds that eat Helianthus 23

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Yellow

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

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Arkansas rankSNR
Global rankG5
AR statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources