Western Sunflower

Helianthus occidentalis

Found in rocky or sandy flood-scoured riversides, dry hammocks (in FL). Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

Keystone

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height: 2–5 feet
Spread: 1.5–2 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

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?

Helianthus occidentalis photograph — (c) aarongunnar, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: July to October

JFMAMJJASOND

Not yet recorded · Leaves

County records are not available.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 59 animals.

Eastern Phoebe
Sayornis phoebe
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Towhee
Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Golden Eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Gray Catbird
Dumetella carolinensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Green Heron
Butorides virescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Lark Sparrow
Chondestes grammacus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Lesser Scaup
Aythya affinis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Little Blue Heron
Egretta caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Orchard Oriole
Icterus spurius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Purple Finch
Carpodacus purpureus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

74CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · 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
Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller

Show all 74

Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
Cochylichroa hospesBanded Sunflower Moth
Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
Cucullia speyeriSpeyer's Cucullia, Speyer's Paint
Dichomeris aleatrixBuffy Dichomeris Moth
Dichomeris flavocostellaCream-Edged Dichomeris
Dichomeris inserrataIndented Dichomeris
Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
Dichomeris leuconotellaTwo-Spotted 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
Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
Nymphalis milbertiMilbert's Tortoise Shell, Fire-Rim Tortoise Shell
Oedemasia leptinoidesBlack-Blotched Schizura
Ogdoconta cinereolaCommon Pinkband Groundling
Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Papaipema necopinaSunflower Borer
Papaipema rigidaRigid Sunflower Borer
Pelochrista scintillanaSpangled Pelochrista
Phragmatobia fuliginosaRuby Tiger Moth
Phtheochroa birdanaBird's Cochylid
Phyciodes tharosPearl Crescent, Crescentspot
Plagiomimicus spumosumFrothy Moth
Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
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 frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
Stiria rugifronsSunflower Seedcropper, Yellow Sunflower Moth
Suleima cinerodorsanaAshy Suleima
Suleima helianthanaSunflower Bud Moth
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
Bucculatrix fusicola
Bucculatrix magnella
Bucculatrix needhami
Carmenta ithacae
Eucosma sombreana
Herpetogramma aquilonalis
Landryia matutella
Pelochrista womonana
Sitochroa dasconalis

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

36BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
Alectoris chukarChukar
Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
Branta canadensisCanada Goose
Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
Calcarius ornatusChestnut-collared Longspur
Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove

Show all 36

Corvus brachyrhynchosAmerican Crow
Corvus cryptoleucusChihuahuan Raven
Dryobates pubescensDowny Woodpecker
Euphagus cyanocephalusBrewer's Blackbird
Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
Loxia leucopteraWhite-winged Crossbill
Melanerpes erythrocephalusRed-headed Woodpecker
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
Passer domesticusHouse Sparrow
Perdix perdixGray Partridge
Quiscalus quisculaCommon Grackle
Rhynchophanes mccowniiMcCown's Longspur
Sitta carolinensisWhite-breasted Nuthatch
Spinus psaltriaLesser Goldfinch
Spinus tristisAmerican Goldfinch
Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalusYellow-headed Blackbird
Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow

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

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Asteraceae
Hardiness: Zones 4a–8b
Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline
Flower color: Yellow

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “July to October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Hardiness · “Zones 4a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)
Height · “2–5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
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; Tennessee Smart Yards, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
primary_flower_color · “yellow” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “1.5–2 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Few Leaf Sunflower; Few Leaved Sunflower; Fewleaf Sunflower; Fewleaved Sunflower; Naked Stem Sunflower; Naked Stemmed Sunflower; Nakedstem Sunflower; Nakedstemmed Sunflower

Conservation status

West Virginia rank	S2
Global rank	G5
WV status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

Spreads aggressively. Spreads aggressively by rhizomes. Tennessee Smart Yards

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Western Sunflower

At a glance

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Growing cautions

Sources

More Helianthus