Black Eyed Susan

The Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) has been the official Maryland flower since 1918 when it was designated the "Floral Emblem" of Maryland by the General Assembly.  I snapped these on my bike ride this morning.

Though not native to the state of Maryland, it did grow throughout the state and presented beautiful waves of orange/yellow in fields from late summer to autumn. It also reflected the colors, black and gold, that the first Lord Baltimore used in his coat of arms.

There was plenty of opposition to the black-eyed Susan. It was denigrated as nothing more than a common weed and not even native to the state. An article in the Baltimore Sun criticized the choice, referring to it as a common vagabond, " Susan came to Maryland, not on the Ark or the Dove, but as a migrant from the Midwest mixed in clover and hayseed.”