Southern Wild Senna is a host plant for several species of sulphur caterpillars: Sleepy Orange, Tailed Orange, Little Yellow Sulphur, Cloudless Sulphur, and Orange-Barred Sulphur. You can check with your state butterfly association to see which ones are native to your area.

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I got two dormant bare roots of these this spring after wanting the plant for so long. They were planted on the south side of our house. I was concerned early on because they were just not popping out of the ground. It seemed to take nearly a month, but every time I checked on them afterwards, there was consistently new growth. In July, the plants have beautifully flowered. I look forward to seeing those interesting seed pods later this year. When it comes to natives they have free reign and in fact I've been hacking away at the daylilies to give these beauties more space to roam.

I was giving friends a garden tour in late May. One of the ladies works in the medical profession. She asked, "Laxative plant?" when I pointed to the Wild Senna. HA! The dried leaves are used today in modern medicine for that very purpose.

This plant is native to much of the eastern United States, going west into Nebraska and down to Texas. It is a member of the legume family. The seed pods look much like peas.

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