Verbesina virginica (Frostweed)

Native to the central and eastern United States, this perennial herb belongs to the daisy family and can grow about 8 feet tall. Narrow green wings run along its stems, which carry broad, mostly alternate leaves and branching clusters of small white flower heads. It grows in woodlands, floodplains, and moist forest margins. Its flowers provide nectar for butterflies. During early hard freezes, the stems can split while the roots continue supplying sap from warmer soil. The escaping liquid freezes into thin, folded ribbons of ice around the lower stems, giving the plant its frostweed name. Photographed in Florida.