Bearded Beggarticks
Bidens aristosa
In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in marshes, wet meadows, ditches, bogs. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you
Native to Louisiana (estimated). 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
Will it fit your yard?
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Annual or biennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
- Bloom
- Late summer
- Fruiting season
- Summer to fall
Recorded in 34 Louisiana parishes.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.
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 Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 115 animals.
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
- Common Ground-doveColumbina passerina
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Eastern PhoebeSayornis phoebe
- Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asio
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Eurasian Collared-doveStreptopelia decaocto
- Fish CrowCorvus ossifragus
- Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Harris's SparrowZonotrichia querula
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- Hooded WarblerWilsonia citrina
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipes
- Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis
- Neotropic CormorantPhalacrocorax brasilianus
- Northern ParulaParula americana
- Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicus
- Northern ShovelerAnas clypeata
- Orange-crowned WarblerVermivora celata
- Orchard OrioleIcterus spurius
Widespread birds also seen here (17)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
Who uses this plant?
22CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA
Genus host records with ranges including LA · Bidens
- Cecropterus lyciadesHoary Edge
- Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
- Cirrhophanus trianguliferGoldenrod Stowaway, Beggarticks Seedcropper
- Condica concisaConcise Groundling
- Condica confederataThe Confederate
- Condica mobilisMobile Groundling
- Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
- Epiblema abruptanaAbrupt Epiblema
- Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
- Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Show all 22
- Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
- 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
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
7BirdsRecorded eating Bidens in Louisiana
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Louisiana, most records first.
- SoraSeeds. 4 diet records
- American CootSeeds. 2 diet records
- Virginia RailSeeds. 2 diet records
- Wood DuckSeeds. 2 diet records
- Fulvous Whistling-duckSeeds. 1 diet record
- MallardSeeds. 1 diet record
- Northern Bobwhite1 diet record
Direct food only. 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
Birds that eat Bidens 7
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- SoraPorzana carolina
- American CootFulica americana
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Fulvous Whistling-duckDendrocygna bicolor
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
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
| Louisiana rank | Not available |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| LA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Louisiana occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- 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
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications