Golden Alexander

 The Latin name is Zizia Aurea and the meaning of Aurea, is gold. Gold is often a symbol for royalty and Alexander the Great is thought to be the name sake of this plant. I have found quite a few non native wild flowers this Spring, but this one is a true native to North America. This flower, unlike the Phlox, is visited by short tongued bees. Also, Swallowtail caterpillars feed on the leaves of the Golden Alexander. The Golden Alexander is a compound umbrel flower. The word umbrel describes the way the many circles of little yellow flowers are positioned on the stem. They are at the top of the stem, and if you looked at it from underneath, it sort of looks like the spokes of an umbrella. 

Where I found it : in a field