Species › Plants › Virgin's Bower

Virgin's Bower

Clematis virginiana

CommonPlant
Illustration of Virgin's Bower (Clematis virginiana)
Safety note: Sap can cause skin irritation and blistering in sensitive individuals.

Virgin's Bower is a native climbing vine of forest edges and stream banks that clambers high into the canopy with small white flowers in summer and distinctive fluffy, silvery seed plumes in fall that drape the vine like a smoky white curtain. The seed plumes earned it the common name 'old man's beard.' Many small bees and beetles visit the flowers.

Habitat
Forest edges, thickets, and stream banks across eastern North America
Diet
Flowers visited by many native bees and beetles; seeds wind-dispersed
How common
Common

Best time to see a Virgin's Bower

The best time to see a Virgin's Bower is July–September, when about 65% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 13,753 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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