Wow! Thanks for the QUICK answer. :) I've never even seen one of these plants before in my life, but it's made itself right at home in my backyard.

A picture of the entire plant would help for a positive ID. The flowers of both suggested plants are very similar. If it is thorny...it's probably the Cherokee rose, Rosa laevigata. In that case, it has an interesting history worth researching. :-)Rosie Here is a link that might be useful: Cherokee Rose

I think ottawavalleygardener got it, looks like a Rudbeckia laciniata...thanks all for the help. I have some pics of it, but the site rejects them saying they are larger than 60 kilobytes and I don't know how to change the size, can anyone walk me thru that? I have some other plants I'd like help with. I like this forum, interesting and you can learn a lot from all you great people!

Hi again Bacwebs, I'm not seeing your picture, and would suggest you try asking at the link below. I'd also suggest that you update your member profile to show your garden zone/location. See I am 5/6 S INdiana. By including your garden zone/location in your member profile, it will automatically be shown whenever you make a post, which is often very helpful info. Sue Here is a link that might be useful: Name That Plant Forum.