A meadow plant that thrives in sandy soil with good drainage, hyssop-leaved thoroughwort (Eupatorium hyssopifolium) will show up at anthropogenic sites with similar conditions. The pictured specimen is a volunteer along a steep driveway off Leeward Passage in Truro. This native perennial is widespread across the eastern half of the country but not well known; its close cousins, boneset and Joe-Pye weed, are the more famous members of its family. With a vase-like structure and dramatic seed heads that are as attractive as its blooms, it won’t be long before this pollinator favorite shows up at the local nursery, too.
