Our Giving Tuesday story continues as we as we travel to the high-marsh where a popular garden favorite grows alongside its low and mid marsh neighbors. Meet Common Yarrow, a versatile, widespread plant of the sunflower family, that grows in nearly every habitat across California and has a variety of uses, for both people and wildlife. Its nectar and pollen provide food for numerous insect pollinators, and birds will often use its leaves to line their nests to take advantage of its antimicrobial properties.

Personality: Generous, beautiful, soothing

Special Talents: Medicinal

Friends: Insect pollinators and birds

Foes: Fennel and Stinkwort

Meet Yarrow! Its scientific name is Achillea millefolium which tells us a lot about this plant. It’s genus, Achillea, comes from the legend of the warrior Achilles, whose mother dipped him in a bath of yarrow as a baby to protect him. But of course, she held him by his ankle, giving us the phrase Achilles heel. For millennia, people have relied on Yarrow for its many medicinal qualities, aiding in treating everything from fevers and colds to intestinal issues and toothaches. Its species name, millefolium, describes Yarrow’s dense flower heads perfectly, which look like clusters of millions of little flowers.

Common Yarrow by the Numbers Common Yarrow is one of 14 species that we plant as part of our habitat restoration work. 1,800 – Common Yarrow propagated $2.15 – Cost Per Plant $3,870 – Total cost of Common Yarrow needed per year

The total cost for all the plants we grow each year is approximately $60,000. On Giving Tuesday we’re raising $20,000 toward this cost, and you can help. Give today or on December 3.