Joe-pye weed, Eupatorium fistulosum, is a native, non-invasive perennial herb in the aster family that is widely distributed throughout the eastern United States, west into Texas, and Quebec, and is common in almost every county of West Virginia. This whorled-leaved plant normally grows 5-7 feet tall but can reach 12 feet, and it grows in rich bottomlands, lower slopes, meadows, bogs, marshes, and alluvial woods, preferring moist to wet soils in full sun or partial shade, though with sufficient moisture it can also grow in gravelly or sandy soils. Its conspicuous mauve pink or purple flowers bloom between July and September and attract long-tongued bees, skippers, and butterflies for nectar, while its seeds ripen about a month after flowering. Because it is hollow-stemmed, it is not drought-tolerant, and its leaves are eaten by flea beetles, saw flies, caterpillars, and grasshoppers. Native Americans used the plant to make a diuretic tea, and tea made from the roots was used for liver ailments, a sore womb after childbirth, kidney ailments, chills, cold, fever, and diarrhea, while a wash made from root tea was also used to treat rheumatism.