Native Plants - Biodiversity Builders

Some parts of the descriptions are sourced from the Massachusetts Native Plant Trust and the Missouri Botanical Garden

Golden Groundsel (Packera aurea)

A somewhat weedy perennial which is valued for its ability to thrive in moist shady locations, naturalize rapidly and produce a long and profuse spring bloom. ( < 1 ft., Full sun - Deep shade, April-June, Moist - Wet)

Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)

A short wildflower that features solitary, yellow, daisy-like flowers with 8 toothed petals. (

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

A tuberous rooted, perennial which occurs in dry/rocky open woods, glades, prairies, fields and roadsides. It typically grows in a clump and features clusters (umbels) of bright orange to yellow-orange flowers atop upright to reclining, hairy stems with narrow, lance-shaped leaves. Flowers are a nectar source for many butterflies and leaves are a food source for monarch butterfly larvae (caterpillars). (1-3 ft, Full sun, June-August, Dry, Supports at-risk bees)

Blue-stem Goldenrod (Solidago caesia)

A woodland perennial which occurs in woods, bluff ledges and bluff bases. It has glabrous, wiry, greenish-purple stems which are covered with a silvery-white waxy bloom that can be rubbed off. Tiny, bright yellow, daisy-like flowers typically with 3-4 rays per head appear in a series of loose clusters in the leaf axils along the length of the stems, with the terminal clusters being the largest. Attractive to bees and butterflies. (1-2 ft, Part sun-Deep shade, September-October, Dry)

Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

A wildflower which typically occurs in open woods, prairies, fields, and roadsides. It is a coarse, hairy, somewhat weedy plant that features daisy-like flowers (to 3" across) with bright yellow to orange-yellow rays and domed, dark chocolate-brown center disks. (2-3 ft, Full sun - Part shade, July-September, Dry-Moist)

Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea)

Occurs most often in small colonies in moist woods and meadows, thickets, glades and prairies. Features flat-topped clusters (compound umbels) of tiny yellow flowers in late spring. Distinguished from other carrot family members by the absence of a flower stalk on the central flower of each umbel. Both basal and stem leaves are compound biternate with toothed leaflets. (1-2 ft, Full sun - Part shade, April-June, Moist - Wet)

Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)

An erect, clump-forming plant that occurs in moist soils along streams, ponds, or ditches and in spring-fed meadows, prairie, and wet open ground. Features clusters of daisy-like flowers with distinctive wedge-shaped, bright yellow rays that are three-lobed at the tips and prominent, dome-like, dull yellow center disks. (3-5 ft, Full sun, July-October, Moist)

common sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

Native to dry plains, prairies, meadows and foothills in the U.S, Canada, and northern Mexico. It is a coarse, hairy, leafy, fast-growing tall on stiff upright stalks. The species is a somewhat weedy plant that is now commonly seen growing along roads, fences and fields. (2-12 ft, Full sun, July-October, Moist)

New York Ironweed (Vernonia novaboracensis)

A tall, coarse, upright perennial which typically occurs in the wild in moist thickets, low areas and along streambanks from Massachusetts to Mississippi. Features numerous tiny, fluffy, deep purple, composite flowers without rays. (3-6 ft, Full sun, August-September, Moist - Wet)

Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa)

A clump-forming, mint family member. Lavender, two-lipped, tubular flowers appear in dense, globular, solitary, terminal heads atop square stems. Each flower head rests upon a whorl of showy, pinkish, leafy bracts. Flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. (2-4 ft, Full sun - Part shade, June-August, Moist - Wet)

Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis)

Purple, lupine-like flowers in erect racemes atop flower spikes extending well above a foliage mound of clover-like, trifoliate, bluish-green leaves. (3-5 ft, Full sun - Part shade, April - June, Moist)

Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana)

An erect, clump-forming plant which features terminal, pyramidal clusters of 3/4", soft light blue, star-like flowers in late spring atop erect, leafy stems growing 2-3' tall. Foliage may turn an attractive yellow in fall. (2-3 ft, Full sun - part shade, May-June, Dry - Moist)

New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

Features a profuse bloom of daisy-like asters with purple rays and yellow centers from late summer to early fall. Rough, hairy, lance-shaped leaves clasp stiff, hairy stems. Flowers are attractive to butterflies. (3-5 ft, Full sun - Part shade, September-October, Moist)

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)

Features candelabra-like inflorescences of erect, slender, pencil-like spikes of tiny, tubular, 5-lobed, densely-packed, purplish-blue flowers which appear over a long July-September bloom period. Flowers on each spike bloom bottom to top, only a few at a time. Lance-shaped, sharply toothed, green leaves. (6-7 ft, Full sun - Part shade, July-August, Moist - Wet)

Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

It is noted for its mid-to-late summer bloom of lavender to purple flowers in terminal spikes and its anise-scented foliage. Square stems are clad with ovate to broad-lanceolate dull green leaves (to 4" long) with toothed margins. (3-5 ft, Full sun - Part shade, July-September, Dry, Supports at-risk bees)

Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)

(1-2 ft, Part sun - Deep shade, July-September, Moist - Wet, Supports at-risk bees)

Scarlet Bee-balm (Monarda didyma)

It is a somewhat coarse, clump-forming, mint family member that features tubular, two-lipped, bright scarlet-red flowers crowded into dense, globular, terminal flowerheads (to 3-4" across) somewhat resembling unkempt mop-heads. Flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. (3-4 ft, Full sun, June-August, Moist - Wet, Supports at-risk bees)

Blueflag Iris (Iris versicolor)

A marginal aquatic plant that forms a clump of narrow, arching-to-erect, sword-shaped, blue-green leaves. Each stalk produces 3-5 bluish-purple flowers with bold purple veining.(2-3 ft, May-June, Full sun - Part shade, Moist - Wet)

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Showy daisy-like purple flowers bloom throughout summer atop stiff stems clad with coarse, ovate to broad-lanceolate, dark green leaves. (1-3 ft, Full sun - Part shade, June-August, Moist)

Carolina Rose (Rosa carolina)

Often spreads by suckers to form colonies or thickets in the wild. Features single 5-petaled, pink flowers, which bloom in May.(2-5 ft, Full Sun - Part shade, May-June, Dry-Moist, Supports at-risk bees)

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

A somewhat short-lived, clump-forming perennial which features erect, terminal spikes (racemes) of large, cardinal red flowers on unbranched, alternate-leafed stalks. (2-4 ft, Full sun - Part shade, August-September, Moist - Wet)

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Small, fragrant, pink to mauve flowers, each with five reflexed petals and an elevated central crown, appear in tight clusters (umbels) at the stem ends in summer. Flowers are uncommonly white. Narrow, lance-shaped, taper-pointed leaves are long. Stems exude a toxic milky sap when cut. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies as a nectar source and are an important food source for the larval stage of Monarch butterflies. (3-4 ft, Full sun - Part shade, July-August, Moist - Wet, Supports at-risk bees)

Coastal Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium dubium)

A wetland species which is native primarily to sandy swamps, riverbanks and moist thickets in Eastern North America from Nova Scotia and Maine south along the coastal plain to South Carolina and Alabama. Small disk flowers (rays absent) ranging in color from pale pink to dark purple bloom in corymbiform, dome-shaped clusters. (4-6 ft, Full sun, July-August, Moist - Wet, Supports at-risk bees)

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Upright stems with thick, broad-oblong, reddish-veined, light green leaves (to 8" long). Domed, slightly drooping clusters (umbels) of fragrant, pinkish -purple flowers appear mostly in the upper leaf axils over a long bloom period from late spring well into summer. Stems and leaves exude a milky sap when cut or bruised. Flowers are a nectar source for many butterflies and leaves are a food source for monarch butterfly larvae. (2-4 ft, Full sun, June-July, Dry-Moist, Supports at-risk bees)

Black Bugbane (Actaea racemosa)

Small, numerous, creamy white, fragrant flowers appear in late summer to early fall in long, terminal racemes resembling fluffy spires rising well above the foliage on wiry stems. Astilbe-like, deeply cut, tripinnate foliage is an attractive deep green. (2-6 ft, Part sun-Deep shade, July-September, Moist)

White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata)

It grows in loose clumps with dark, sprawling, sometimes zigzag stems. Distinctive leaves are heart-shaped, stalked and coarsely toothed. Small but abundant flowers have white rays and yellow to red center disks and appear in flat-topped, terminal clusters in late summer to early fall. Attractive to butterflies. (2-3 ft, Part sun-Deep Shade, August-September, Dry-Moist)

Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)

Resembles a large veronica, except its lance-shaped leaves are in whorls (3-7 leaves per whorl) on the stems rather than opposite. Dense, slender, 9" long spikes (racemes) of tiny, tube-like, white to pale blue flowers open from the top down in late spring to early summer atop strong, upright stems. (2-4 ft, Full sun - Part shade, July-August, Dry-Moist)

Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)

Features dark green leaves which have a strong mint-like (spearmint) aroma when crushed. Branched stems are clad with dark green leaves with round to heart-shaped bases and toothed margins. When planted in groups or massed, the silvery bracts give the entire planting the appearance of being dusted by white powdery snow. Flowers are attractive to butterflies and bees. (3-4 ft, Full sun - Part shade, July-September, Dry-Moist, Supports at-risk bees)

White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)

Coarsely-toothed, lance-shaped, dark green leaves. Hooded, snapdragon-like, two-lipped, white flowers with a tinge of pink appear in tight, spike-like terminal racemes from late summer into autumn. (2-3 ft, Full sun-Part shade, August-September, Moist - Wet, Supports at-risk bees)

Plantain-leaved Pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia)

It is a stoloniferous, mat-forming, woolly plant, with all of the leaves and flower stalks being woolly and grayish. Somewhat non-showy, fuzzy, whitish flower heads tinged with pink bloom in spring. Flowers are crowded into terminal clusters (corymbs) atop small-leaved flowering stems rising from a basal rosette of paddle-shaped leaves. Male and female flowers on separate plants, with male flowers typically appearing on shorter flower stalks. (< 1 ft, Full sun-Part shade, April-June, Dry)

Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)

Features white, two-lipped, tubular flowers borne in panicles atop erect, rigid stems. Flowers bloom from mid-spring to early summer and are attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators. Basal leaves are elliptic and stem leaves are lance-shaped to oblong. (3-5 ft, Full sun - Part shade, April-June, Dry-Moist, Supports at-risk bees)

Tall White Phlox (Phlox paniculata)

This is an upright perennial that grows in a clump on stiff stems clad with conspicuously veined, opposite, pointed, elliptic, deep green leaves. Fragrant, tubular, pink-purple to white florets are densely packed in large, tiered, domed terminal clusters over a long July to September bloom period. Each individual floret has a long corolla tube and five flat petal-like lobes. Butterflies and hummingbirds love the flowers. (1-3 ft, Full sun - Part sun, July-September, Moist)

Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis)

Features showy, 5-petaled, slightly fragrant, white flowers in drooping clusters which appear before the leaves emerge in early spring. Finely toothed, elliptic, medium to dark green leaves change to orange-red in autumn. Flowers give way to small, round, green berries which turn red and finally mature to a dark purplish-black in early summer. Edible berries resemble blueberries in size and color and are used in jams, jellies and pies.(15-25 ft, Full sun - Deep shade, May-June, Moist - Wet)

Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia)

It is a rounded, suckering, densely-branched, deciduous shrub that typically grows to tall and is noted for producing a mid to late summer bloom of sweetly fragrant white flowers which appear in narrow, upright panicles. (3-8 ft, Full sun - Part shade, July-August, Moist - Wet)

Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)

Low-growing wild shrubs that have flowers that can have a pale pink tinge. It's round, sweet berries are dark blue to purple. (1-2 ft, Part shade - Deep shade, July-August, Moist - Wet, Supports at-risk bees)

Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

An upright, deciduous shrub with flowers that can have a pale pink tinge. The round, sweet berries are dark blue to purple. (5-8 ft, Full sun - Part shade, July-August, Moist - Wet, Supports at-risk bees, Needs male & female)

Smooth Arrowood (Viburnum dentatum)

Non-fragrant white flowers in flat-topped corymbs appear in late spring. Flowers give way to blue-black, berry-like drupes which are quite attractive to birds and wildlife. (8-10 ft, Full sun - Part shade, April-June, Dry - Moist)

Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin)

Clusters of tiny, apetalous, aromatic, greenish-yellow flowers bloom along the branches in early spring before the foliage emerges. Male and female flowers on separate plants, with the male flowers being larger and showier than the female ones. Flowers of female plants give way to bright red drupes which mature in fall and are attractive to birds. The larva of the spicebush swallowtail butterfly feeds on the leaves of this shrub. (6-12 ft, Full sun -Part shade, March, Moist)

Winterberry Holly (llex verticillata)

This is a slow-growing, deciduous shrub with an upright-rounded habit. Relatively inconspicuous greenish-white flowers appear in the leaf axils in late spring. The flowers, if properly pollinated, give way to a crop of bright red berries in late summer to fall. Berries are quite showy and will persist throughout the winter and often into early spring. Berries provide considerable impact and interest to the winter landscape. (6-10 ft, Full sun - Part shade, July-August, Moist - Wet)

Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera)

Noted for its small shrubby form, yellow trumpet-shaped flowers, dark green leaves, and fall color. In order to taste the plant's sweet nectar, it's tubular flower must be suckled. (1-3 ft, Full sun-Deep Shade, July-August, Dry-Moist)

Flowering Raspberry (Rubus odoratus)

This shrub has hairy stems but virtually no prickles. Flowers give way to cup-shaped red fruits (raspberries) which are edible but somewhat dry, crumbly, and unappetizing. (3-6 ft, Full sun - Deep shade, July-August, Moist, Supports at-risk bees)

Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)

Compound pinnate leaves are dark green. Each leaf contains 3-7 serrate, ovate to elliptic leaflets. Leaves have an unpleasant aroma when cut or crushed. Tiny white flowers in large flattened umbel-like cymes bloom in June-July. Flowers have a musky fragrance, and they eventually give way to clusters of glossy black elderberry fruits in late summer. (10-15 ft, Full sun - Part shade, June-August, Moist - Wet)

Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia)

A multi-stemmed, broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree that is noted for its excellent spring flowers and quality year-round foliage. Flowers appear in terminal clusters, typically covering the shrub in late spring for several weeks with an often exceptional bloom. (5-15 ft, Part shade, May, Moist)

Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica)

Leaves and twigs are aromatic when bruised. Although smaller, the leaves resemble in appearance those of the related poison ivy (Rhus radicans). Tiny yellow flowers bloom at the twig tips in early spring before the foliage. Separate male flowers (in catkins) and female flowers (in clusters) appear on the same plants or, more commonly, on different plants. Male catkins form in late summer and persist throughout the winter until eventually blooming in spring. Female flowers give way in late summer to small clusters of hairy, red berries which may persist into winter. Fruit is attractive to wildlife. (5-12 ft, Full sun - Part shade, April-June, Dry - Moist)

Sweet Fern (Comptonia peregrina)

Features simple, narrow, lustrous, pinnatifid, deeply notched, olive to dark green leaves. Insignificant, yellowish-green flowers appear in spring and give way to greenish-brown, burr-like nutlets. Fixes its own nitrogen. (2-5 ft., Full sun - Part shade, April-June, Dry - Moist)

New Jersey Tea (Ceonthus americanus)

Cylindrical clusters of tiny, fragrant, white flowers appear on long stalks at the stem ends or upper leaf axils in late spring. Toothed, broad-ovate, medium to dark green leaves (to 4" long) are gray and hairy below. Young twigs are noticeably yellow and stand out in winter. (1-4 ft, Full sun, June-July, Dry)

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)

Tiny, tubular, 5-lobed, fragrant, distinctively pincushion-like white flowers appear in dense, spherical, long-stalked flower heads in early to mid-summer. Its flower heads are very attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and other insect pollinators. Flower heads mature into hard spherical ball-like fruits consisting of multiple tiny two-seeded nutlets.(6-12 ft, Part shade - Deep shade, June-August, Moist - Wet, Supports at-risk bees)

Oak-leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

An upright, broad-rounded, suckering, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub, noted for producing pyramidal panicles of white flowers in summer on exfoliating branches clad with large, 3-7 lobed, oak-like, dark green leaves. (4-6 ft, Full sun - Part shade, June-July, Moist)

Northern Lady Fern (Athyrium angustum)

A deciduous fern that features lacy-cut, erect or ascending, 2 to 3-pinnate or pinnatifid, finely-divided, lanceolate, light green fronds (leaves). Each frond has twenty to thirty pairs of elliptic leaflets with narrow pointed tips. (1-2 ft, Part sun-Deep shade, July-August, Moist)

Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)

Typically grows in a fountain-like clump and features leathery, lance-shaped, evergreen fronds (leaves). (1-2 ft, Part sun-Deep shade, July-August, Moist)

Pennsylvania Sedge/Oak Sedge (Carex pensylvanica)

It is often found in areas with oak trees. This is a low sedge with soft, delicate, arching, grass-like, semi-evergreen fronds (leaves). Flowers bloom in late spring in inflorescences atop rough, sharply triangular stems which rise up singly from the rhizomes. (< 1 ft, Part sun-Deep Shade, May-July, Moist)

Switch Panicgrass (Panicum virgatum)

Noted for its stiff, columnar form, and typically retains its vertical shape throughout the growing season. (3-6 ft, Full sun, July - October, Moist - Wet)

Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum)

Separate spore-bearing, stiff, fertile fronds (leaves) appear in early spring, quickly turning brown. The familiar young curled fronds or "fiddleheads" also emerge from the base of the plant and unfurl into large, erect, pinnately-compound, yellowish-green, sterile fronds which remain attractive throughout the summer and turn yellow in autumn. The common name of this plant is in reference to the color of the fibers found near the frond bases. (2-3 ft, Part shade - Deep shade, May-June, Moist)

Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)

A clump-forming, upright to arching, rhizomatous, deciduous fern. The showy parts of this fern are the finely dissected, medium green, vegetative fronds which have the feathery appearance of long ostrich plumes. (3-6 ft, Part shade - Deep shade, May-June, Wet)

Purple Lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis)

A warm-season bunchgrass that is native to sandy soils across North America. Flat, coarse, mostly basal, green leaves form a somewhat disorganized clump of foliage. Soft reddish-purple flowers in a loose, open inflorescence appear in August, forming an airy cloud that covers the grass clump( 1-2 ft, Full sun, July-August, Dry)

Little Bluestem (Schizachrium scoparium)

It was one of the dominant grasses of the vast tallgrass prairie region which once covered rich and fertile soils in many parts of central North America. Features upright clumps of slender, flat, linear green leaves, with each leaf having a tinge of blue at the base. Purplish-bronze flowers appear in 3" long racemes on branched stems rising above the foliage in August. Flowers are followed by clusters of fluffy, silvery-white seed heads that often persist into winter. Many consider the most outstanding ornamental feature of this grass to be its bronze-orange fall foliage color. (2-4 ft, Full sun, August-September, Dry-Moist)

Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)

A stemless plant which features two downy, heart-shaped to kidney-shaped, handsomely veined, dark green, basal leaves. Cup-shaped, purplish brown flowers appear in spring, usually hidden from view by the foliage. The roots of this plant produce a scent that is reminiscent of culinary ginger. (< 1 ft, Part shade - Full shade, April-June, Moist - Wet)

Potted Crane's-bill (Geranium maculatum)

Features pink to lilac, saucer-shaped, upward facing, 5-petaled flowers in spring for a period of 6-7 weeks. Deeply cut, palmately 5-lobed, dark green leaves. Flowers give way to distinctive, beaked seed capsules. (1-2 ft, Full Sun- Part shade, April - May, Moist)

Solomon's Plume (Maianthemum racemosum)

A clump-forming perennial slowly spreads by thick rhizomes, often forming large colonies in the wild. Features unbranched, gracefully arching stems of alternate, oval, pointed, light green leaves with conspicuously parallel veins. Tiny, fragrant, creamy white flowers appear at the stem ends in terminal, plumy, spirea-like racemes in spring. Flowers are followed by greenish berries which turn an attractive ruby red in summer, often persisting into fall unless earlier consumed by wildlife. (2 ft., Full shade - Part shade, April-June, Moist - Wet)

Goat's Beard (Aruncus dioicus)

A tall, erect, bushy, clump-forming plant which features pinnately compound, dark green foliage and showy, plume-like spikes of tiny, cream colored flowers which rise well above the foliage in early to mid summer, creating a bold effect. Plants with male flowers produce a showier bloom than plants with female flowers. (3-4 ft, Part shade, May-June, Moist - Wet)

Tall Anemone (Anemone virginiana)

Flowers are borne on erect stems above the foliage and feature five, white, petal-like sepals and a thimble-like, center mound of yellowish stamens. Flowers give way to thimble-shaped seed heads which remain on the plants well into winter. Three-parted leaves may carry a reddish tinge late into the season. (1-2 ft, Part sun, April-June, Dry - Moist)

Spotted St John's-wort (Hypericum punctatum)

It typically grows from a woody, branched rootstock and features a showy display of star-shaped, yellow flowers that bloom in pyramidal compound cymes in summer. Each flower has 5 yellow petals peppered with black dots, a pistil with 3 styles, and a center boss of bushy yellow stamens. Stem-clasping, elliptic to oblong leaves have translucent dots and black marginal punctations. The foliage has an unpleasant aroma when bruised or rubbed. (1-2 ft, Full sun - Part shade, June-July, Moist, Supports at-risk bees)

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)

Semi-glossy, heart-shaped, 3-5 lobed leaves rise directly from the stolons. Leaves may have reddish variegation along the veins. Foliage is evergreen in mild winters, often turning reddish bronze in autumn and winter. From pink buds, tiny, foamy textured, white flowers with very long stamens appear in airy racemes in spring for about 6 weeks on numerous, erect, wiry, mostly leafless flower stems which rise well above the foliage clump. (< 1 ft, Part sun - Part shade, May-July, Moist)

Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis)

An herbaceous perennial of the buttercup family that produces an often spectacular bloom of apetalous, upward-facing, white flowers which bloom in spring atop erect hairy flowering stems clad with broad, stalkless, deeply cut and sharply-toothed orbiculate leaves. Each flower features five showy petal-like white sepals and numerous contrasting yellow center stamens.(1-2 ft, Full sun - Part shade, April-June, Moist - Wet)

Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)

Tubular, two-lipped, snapdragon-like, pink to pale lilac flowers in upright terminal spikes bloom throughout summer atop square stems. Flowers bloom bottom to top on each spike, with each flower being subtended by a small leaf-like bract. Stems are clad with opposite, narrow-lanceolate, sharply-toothed leaves. Species plants are noted for being aggressive spreaders in the landscape by both rhizomes and self-seeding. (3 ft, Full sun - Part shade, August-September, Moist - Wet, Supports at-risk bees)

Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata)

Large, showy, yellow flowers bloom from the upper leaf axils in short clusters in mid to late summer. Each flower has 5 rounded yellow petals and 10 stamens (6 red and 4 yellow). Flowers are borne on stems clad with alternate, pinnate-compound leaves, each leaf having 8-18 pairs of small, narrow, linear-oblong 2/3-inch long leaflets. Leaves are sensitive to touch and daylight, folding their leaflets in late afternoon each day as darkness approaches. Flowers give way to narrow, flattened, dehiscent seed pods (each to 2 1/2" long). Each pod is initially green but matures to brown before splitting open on both sides in fall to explosively expel the seeds within. Seeds are regularly consumed by birds. Plants provide cover for game birds and browse for deer. Flowers are a good nectar source for bees and butterflies.(2 ft., Full sun - Part shade, July-September, Dry - Moist, Supports at-risk bees)

Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)

Typically grows on stout, upright stems with velvety, broad-oblong to broad-ovate, gray-green leaves with conspicuous veining. Globular clusters of fragrant, pinkish-white to pinkish-purple, star-like flowers appear mostly in the upper leaf axils over a long bloom period from late spring well into summer. Stems and leaves exude a milky sap when cut or bruised. Flowers are a nectar source for many butterflies and leaves are a food source for monarch butterfly larvae (2-4 ft, Full sun, June-August, Dry - Moist)

Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)

This is a prairie grass that is native from Quebec to Saskatchewan south to Colorado, Texas and Connecticut. Fine-textured, hair-like, medium green leaves typically form an arching foliage mound to 15" tall and 18" wide. Foliage turns golden with orange hues in fall, fading to light bronze in winter. Open, branching flower panicles appear on slender stems which rise well above the foliage clump in late summer to. Flowers have pink and brown tints, but are perhaps most noted for their unique fragrance that hints of coriander. (2 ft, Full Sun - Part Shade, August-October, Dry-Med. Wet)

Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

Each trifoliate leaf has three coarsely toothed leaflets, with each leaf appearing on a slender stalk. Five-petaled white flowers with numerous yellow-anthered center stamens bloom during the spring in flat umbel-like clusters. Flowers give way strawberries which mature to red in a much smaller size than fruits produced by cultivated strawberry plants. Seeds are embedded in the pits of the strawberries. (

Moss Flox (Phlox subulata)

Flowers are red-purple to violet-purple, pink, or infrequently white. Each flower has five, flat, petal-like, rounded lobes that are distinctively notched. Linear to awl-shaped, green leaves. Vegetation mats purportedly resemble moss. (

Common Violet (Viola sororia)

A stemless, rhizomatous, low-growing perennial which features downy, basal, wide-heart-shaped leaves and large blue-violet flowers. Each flower rests atop its own leafless stalk. Blooms in early spring and sometimes intermittently into late summer. (

River Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)

This grass is perhaps most distinguished by the flat, drooping seed heads which hang in terminal clusters on thread-like pedicils from slightly arching stems. Seed heads will flutter when caressed by even the softest of breezes. Seed heads emerge green but turn purplish bronze by late summer. Bright green leaves turn a coppery color after frost and eventually brown by winter. (3 ft, Full sun - Part shade, July-September, Moist-Wet)

Hyssop-Leaved Boneset (Eupatorium hyssopfolium)

Needle-thin leaves support clouds of white flowers much loved by various butterflies and moths. (3 ft, Full sun - Part shade, August-October, Dry - Moist)

Flat Topped Aster (Doellingeria umbellata)

The nectar and pollen of this plant attract both long- and short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, beetles, and other insects. This tall, late-blooming aster is as visually striking as it is ecologically useful. (2-7 ft, Full sun - Part shade July-September Moist- Wet, Supports at-risk bees)

Solomon's seal (Polygonatum biflorum)

Typically grows in a mound on unbranched stems. Small, bell-shaped, greenish-yellow flowers on short pedicels dangle in spring from the leaf axils along and underneath the arching stems. Flowers are followed by blue-black berries in autumn. (1-3 ft, Part Shade - Shade May-June, Moist)

Yellow Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria)

Features small, bright yellow to cream, pea-like flowers in numerous, sparsely-flowered clusters on stems extending above a foliage mound of stalkless, clover-like, trifoliate, gray-green leaves. Flowers give way to small inflated seed pods, seeds can rattle and the pods turn black when ripe. (2-3 ft, Full Sun - Part Shade June-August, Dry - Moist, Supports at-risk bees)

New York Aster (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii)

Leaves tend to be narrow to oblong-lanceolate. Showy sprays of blue-violet or pink-to-white blooms appear from late summer to mid-fall. The flowers are made up of narrow, showy ray florets surrounding a small cluster of yellow disk florets. The blooms are attractive to butterflies and other insect pollinators. (4 ft, Full sun - Part shade, August-October, Moist, Supports at-risk bees)

Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)

A bushy, stiff, compact, low-growing plant with hairy stems. Features small, daisy-like flowers with violet-blue rays and yellow center disks. Rigid, toothless, oblong, blue-green leaves are fragrant when crushed. Attractive to butterflies. (2 ft, Full sun, August - November, Dry - Moist, Supports at-risk bees)

Flax-leaved Stiff Aster (lonactis linarifolia)

Distinctive linear leaves are narrow, rigid and have one prominent central vein. Stems and general habit are also stiff. Small flowers have blue-violet to purple rays and yellow center disks and appear at the ends of ascending stems in late summer to fall. (1 ft, Full sun, August - November, Dry)

Bigleaf Aster (Eurbia macrophylla)

Heart-shaped, rough, sharply-toothed, basal leaves. Ovate, stalkless upper leaves are much smaller. Stems are often purplish. Flat-topped clusters of flowers with violet to pale blue (rarely white) rays and yellow centers bloom on sticky, glandular flower stalks. Flowers are attractive to butterflies. (1-3 ft, Part Shade - Shade, August-October, Med. Dry - Med. Wet)

Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium reptans)

Features light blue, bell-shaped flowers in loose, terminal clusters appearing on sprawling, weak stems in mid to late spring. Pinnately compound leaves with oval leaflets are arranged like the rungs of a ladder. (1 ft, Part Sun - Part Shade, April-June, Moist)

Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Features drooping, bell-like, red and yellow flowers (red sepals, yellow-limbed petals, 5 distinctive red spurs, and a mass of bushy yellow stamens). Delicate, biternate foliage remains attractive throughout the summer as long as soils are kept moist. Flowers are quite attractive to hummingbirds. (1-3 ft., Full Sun - Part Shade, April-June, Dry-Moist)

Northern Blazing Star (Liatris novae-angliae)

This species is native to dry, sandy, disturbed soils, and produces tall stems with flowers forming separate "buttons" alternating up the spike. Perfect in dry, sunny gardens with Asclepias and Monarda to attract butterflies. (1-4 ft, Full Sun - Part Shade, July-September, Dry)

Spotted Bee-balm (Monarda punctata)

A clump-forming, mint family member that features branching or simple, square stems. Yellow, two-lipped flowers which are spotted with purple appear in the upper leaf axils and stem ends in two or more tiered, but interrupted, stem-ringing clusters, each cluster resting upon a whorl of showy, pinkish, leafy bracts. (2 ft, Full Sun - Part Shade, July-August, Dry)

Shrubby St. John's wort (Hypericum prolificum)

A compact, deciduous, rounded shrub that features 5-petaled, bright yellow flowers with numerous, yellow stamens. Stamens are bushy to the point of partially obscuring the petals. Dark green, narrow, oblanceolate leaves. Cone-shaped seed capsules split in autumn to release black seeds. The bark of older stems exfoliates to reveal attractive, pale orange inner bark. (2-4 ft, Full Sun - Part Shade, June-September, Med Dry - Med Wet, Supports at-risk bees)

Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)

Features tiny, bright yellow flowers borne in dense, erect, club-shaped terminal clusters atop stiff, narrow-leaved, reddish stems. Flowers bloom mid to late summer. This species is one of the showiest of the many goldenrods. (3 ft, Full Sun - Part Shade, August - October, Dry-Moist, Supports at-risk bees)

Zig-Zag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis)

Distinguished by its often zigzag stems and its toothed, broad-ovate, sharply-tipped leaves. Flowers appear in small, axillary clusters on the upper parts of the stems and stem ends. Flowers bloom from mid-summer to fall. Flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. (2 ft, Part Sun Shade, August October, Dry-Moist)

Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

An extremely winter hardy, creeping, slow-growing, prostrate, woody evergreen shrub. Branchlets mature to reddish brown, with papery peeling bark on older twigs. Branchlets are clad with alternate, entire, short-stalked, leathery, rounded-at-the-tip, obovate to spatulate, evergreen dark green leaves which are shiny above but paler beneath. Leaves turn bronze in winter before becoming green again in spring. Miniature, drooping, urn-shaped, white-to-pink flowers in small terminal clusters bloom in late spring. Rounded, berry-like fruits (drupes) ripen in August-September. Each drupe contains 5 nutlets (seeds). Drupes are green in summer ripening to red in fall, sometimes remaining on the plants throughout winter. (