Desmodium canadense

Showy tick trefoil sports an attractive pink flower cluster in midsummer. This nitrogen-fixing plant can adapt to many sites, including nutrient-poor ones. Looks best when planted as a tightly spaced group of plants. Foliage can get powdery mildew, a non-serious leaf disease that can turn foliage white. Tuck behind other plants to hide this. This plant does not harbor ticks, despite the name, though its seeds can stick to clothes and pets.

Photo by Ashley Keesling.