Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta): yellow Minnesota wildflowers

Black-eyed Susan

Plant Info
Also known as:
Scientific name:	Rudbeckia hirta
Family:	Aster (Asteraceae)
Life cycle:	perrenial or biennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	sun; fields, open woods, along roads
Bloom season:	summer, fall
Plant height:	1 to 3 feet
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Long Lake Regional Park Rice Creek Trail Corridor Vadnais/Snail Lake Regional Park

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Flower:: 2 to 3 inch flower with yellow-orange petals and a dark brown or purplish button-like center. Each flower has from 8 to 20 petals (ray flowers). The bracts under the flower can be very elongated with long stiff hairs.
Leaves and stem:: Leaves are variable in shape and size, but are generally slender, from 2 to 7 inches long and up to 2 inches wide. Leaves are covered in short stiff hairs and are mostly toothless; color is grayish-green. The stem is covered in long white hairs. Attachment is alternate.
Notes:: Black-eyed Susan can be found growing in almost any sunny location - dry fields, roadsides, or along lake shores. It tends to grow in patches but finding single plants among other species is not that unusual, either.

More yellow wildflowers. Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN, June-July 2007

Have you seen this plant in Ramsey County, or have any other comments about it?