Achillea millefolium (Fr: achillée boréale En: boreal yarrow)

Description:

Yarrow is one of the oldest and most universal medicines. So old is its use, most notably for stopping bleeding, that neandrathals have been found buried with yarrow. The plant getting its name “Achillea” from its use by the greek hero Achilles brining this medicine with him in during the Trojan war. It is also a universal plant being found indigenously across the northern hemisphere of the earth, and used by most cultures therein.

 It is easily identifiable with its feather like leaves, these leaves give it the second part of its name “millefolium” or thousand leaf. Among the Anishinaabe this plant was sometime referred to as Squirrel tails, which I think is a good comparison for its bushy leaves.

This flower attracts numerous pollinators including a number of different bees and butterflies as can be seen on the above photo.

 Yarrow is an excellent choice for mixing in with lawns as it can tolerate mowing. Note that in rich soils it may grow tall and flop over, pruning the plant in June can prevent this from happening:

Note: These specimen are presumably the native subspecies or variety of yarrow based on wooliness of the stem and shape of the leaves, however it is also quite possible and likely that these are at least somewhat hybridized with European yarrow.

Height: 0.5 meters to 1 meter

Bloom: June to October

Sun: Full sun

Moisture: dry to moderate

Soil: found in both poor and rich soils