Steeplebush (Spirea tomentosa)

Spiraea tomentosa, called steeplebush or hardhack, is a suckering deciduous shrub that grows 2-4′ tall with a slightly larger spread. Tiny pink to rose to rose-purple flowers in dense, narrow, steeple-shaped, terminal spikes (to 4-8″ long) bloom from top to bottom from mid-summer to early autumn. Flowers are attractive to butterflies.

Native to wet meadows, wet pastures, boggy areas, marshes, fields, and lake margins from Nova Scotia to Ontario south to Kansas, Louisiana and Georgia. Elliptic to ovate, medium to dark green leaves (to 3” long) with coarse marginal teeth are tapered at both ends and densely tomentose (yellowish-brown hairs) beneath.

Images thanks to Dan Wilder https://norcrosswildlife.org/