Ludwigia alternifolia, Seedbox

Golden yellow flowers brighten wet meadows and pond edges through midsummer, their petals opening wide to the hum of bees. As the season fades, each bloom gives way to a perfectly shaped cube — the distinctive “seed box” that rattles softly when dry, releasing tiny seeds to the wind and water.

Thriving in full sun to part shade and moist to wet soils, this native perennial brings both form and function to rain gardens and naturalized plantings. Its bright blooms feed pollinators, and its sculpted seed capsules carry the quiet beauty of autumn, reminding us that even as one season ends, another begins within the box of a seed.