Fair warning: Simply looking at the native wildflower Starry rosinweed (Silphium astericus) is likely to put you in a good mood.  This is a tall wildflower (averaging around three feet), which means you don’t have to bend over very far to observe its bright, sunny flowers. It’s also a useful feature because this plant is visited by a number of different pollinator species, including leafcutting bees (Megachile sp.).

Standing in one place for several minutes allows you to closely watch the busy comings and goings while the bees seek out pollen and nectar. It’s also a true perennial, which means that, year after year, it reappears with very little maintenance required. 

If you are a hands-off (or smart) gardener, this is definitely a plant for you. The only downside is that it occasionally gets heavy enough from flowers for the stalks to bend over; however, this is easily solved by planting tall grasses around the plant, which will help prop up sagging flower stems. Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) or dwarf Fakahatchee (Tripsacum floridanum) will work quite nicely for this purpose.