Flower petals or bracts?! The tiny beautiful white petals are bracts that hide the actual yellow flower petals inside!
Anaphalis margaritacea
pearly everlasting
Description:
Stems erect, unbranched from spreading root.
Leaves alternate along stem, narrow, green on upper side with sparse white hairs, underside thickly covered with white-woolly hairs, giving it a silvery appearance
The flowers are the tiny, pearly-white bracts surround each cluster of yellow disc florets
Widespread in forest openings, meadows, roadsides, slopes, at all elevations.
Often used as a cut flower in dried bouquets
Attract native bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects
The Oregon-native American Lady butterfly is a common visitor of this flower and the Pearly Everlasting acts as it’s primary host for the butterfly’s caterpillars!
Drought resistant, therefore offers late-season resources when other flowers have faded-proving vital for pollinators preparing for the cold winter season
Rarity: Locally Common
Flowering Time: Mid Summer
Life Cycle: Perennial
Height: 8--40 inches
Habitat: Meadow, West-Side Forest, East-Side Forest, Subalpine, Disturbed, Coastal
Native: Yes
Source: Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest
Additional resource: OregonFlora Project