Common Yarrow

The leaves of this plant are evenly distributed along the stem and have varying degrees of hairiness, appearing almost feathery or fern-like. The inflorescence, which contains flowers that are white to pink in color, is produced in a flat-topped capitulum cluster.

Often considered to be an aggressive weed, it was originally introduced to America during colonial times, and has since naturalized throughout the U.S. Yarrow has many interesting and beneficial uses: It has been widely used in food, tea, and traditional medicine. Additionally, several types of cavity-nesting birds line their nests with yarrow, and experimental data suggests that adding yarrow to nests may inhibit the growth of parasites. The essential oil of yarrow may be a beneficial larvacide as it has been show to kill the larvae of Aedes albopictus Asian Tiger Mosquito).