Boneset - Eupatorium perfoliatum

Eupatorium perfoliatum, also known as Boneset, is a perennial wildflower native to Michigan and the UP. Plant reaches 2 to 4 feet tall and flowers from July to September with a large cluster of white blossoms.
It prefers full sun to partial shade, medium to wet soil and will grow in muck, clay or loam. In the wild it grows in wet areas, but it does fine in garden soil. Deer resistant and attractive to nocturnal pollinators, butterflies, and birds. This is an excellent host plant for a variety of insects and supports birds both with caterpillars and seed. Monarch butterflies have been observed on dead stalks of this plant family taking up nutrients necessary for reproduction (see article Monarch Rx by Nancy Lawson.) 
New info! This plant also attracts and provides nectar for harmless scoliid wasps. There are several species of this wasp in Michigan. They tend to be black to metalic blue and can have orange segments or dots, depending on the species. They eat nectar and pollinate while doing so. Their larvae eat beetle larvae, usually of scarab beetles. Japanese Beetles are a type of scarab, and scoliid wasps are reported to help control the population of the invasive Japanese Beetles. Plant Boneset, attract the pretty and harmless scoliid wasps, and watch them pollinate and hunt for grubs. Sounds like a party to me!
 
This is a great plant with large, late blooms. Pairs well with Bog Goldenrod, Swamp Milkweed, Great Blue Lobelia, and Cardinal Flower. Use as a bright accent in flower beds, rain gardens, even ditches. Naturalizes well in wetlands and along lakeshores and rivers.