Latin name | Common name | Attributes |
Blooming Forbs | | |
Actaea (Cimicifuga) racemosa | Common Black Cohosh, Bugbane | Graceful white wands in mid-summer |
Agrimonia parviflora | | |
Allium cernuum | Nodding onion | Summer-blooming nectar source; reseeds |
Aquilegia Canadensis | Wild or Eastern Red Columbine | Attracts bees, butterflies, hawk moths |
Arisaema triphyllum | Jack-in-the-pulpit | Statuesque green, late spring bloomer |
Asarum canadense | Common Wild Ginger | Colonizing shady groundcover |
Asclepias incarnata | Swamp milkweed | High nectar and host plant value |
Asclepias tuberosa | Butterfly-weed | High nectar and host plant value |
Baptisia australis | Blue Wild Indigo | Pollinated by queen bumblebees |
Carex blanda | | |
Chrysogonum virginianum | Green and Gold | Semi-evergreen groundcover |
Dicentra cucullaria | Dutchman’s Breeches | Charming spring ephemeral |
Elephantopus carolinianus | Elephant’s Foot | Late summer, reseeding bloomer |
Eurybia divaricata | White Wood Aster | Attracts butterflies with fall bloom |
Euthamia graminifolia | Grass-leaved Goldenrod, Common Flat-top | Late-season nectar & pollen source |
Eutrochium species | Joe Pye Weed | Showy, fragrant, attractive to butterflies |
Fragaria virginiana | Virginia strawberry | High nectar and host plant value |
Geranium maculatum | Wild or Spotted Geranium | Special value to native bees |
Helenium autumnale | Autumn Sneezeweed | Late summer nectar and host plant |
Iris cristata | Dwarf Crested Iris | Deer resistant; nectar & food source |
Jeffersonia diphylla | Twinleaf | Uncommon native |
Lobelia cardinalis | Cardinal flower | Hummingbirds, late summer blooms |
Lobelia siphilitica | Great Blue Lobelia | Tolerates shade and moisture; nectar source |
Mertensia virginica | Virginia Bluebell | Lovely reseeding spring ephemeral |
Mitchella repens | Partridgeberry | Dainty, acid-loving groundcover |
Monarda didyma | Scarlet Beebalm or Oswego Tea | Summer-blooming mint; nectar source |
Monarda fistulosa | Wild Bergamot | Lavender blooms for butterflies and hummingbirds |
Monarda punctata | Spotted Beebalm or Horsemint | Popular for pollinators and predatory wasps |
Packera aurea | Golden or Heartleaf Ragwort | Evergreen groundcover, March bloom |
Penstemon digitalis | Foxglove, Tall White Beardtongue | Long bloom period; valuable nectar plant |
Penstemon hirsutus | Hairy Beardtongue | High nectar & host plant value |
Phlox divaricata | Wild Blue or Woodland Phlox | Attracts hummingbirds and pollinators |
Phlox stolonifera | Creeping Phlox | Evergreen groundcover, spring bloom |
Podophyllum peltatum | Mayapple | Spring ephemeral, box turtle favorite |
Polemonium reptans | Spreading Jacobs Ladder | Self-seeding spring bloomer |
Pycnanthemum incanum | Hoary Mountain Mint | Mint family; densely packed flowers |
Pycnanthemum muticum | Clustered Mountain Mint | Butterflies and bees love it |
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium | Narrow Leaf Mountain Mint | Nectar magnet, fragrant |
Rudbeckia fulgida | Orange Coneflower | Summer-blooming; feeds a variety of wildlife |
Sanguinaria canadensis | Bloodroot | Early spring ephemeral |
Sedum ternatum | Wild Stonecrop | Spreading groundcover |
Sisyrinchium angustifolium | Blue-eyed Grass | Spring-blooming lily; nectar for native bees |
Stylophorum diphyllum | Celandine Poppy | Yellow spring-bloomer for dense shade |
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae | New England Aster | Outstanding fall nectar & pollen source |
Thalictrum (Anemonella) thalictroides | Rue-anemone | Delicate low-growing reseeder |
Thalictrum dioicum | Early Meadow-rue | Tall, delicate fern-like foliage |
Tiarella cordifolia | Foamflower | Spring flowering groundcover |
Trillium flexipes | Nodding Wake Robin | Spring-blooming sturdy perennial |
Trillium sessile | Toadshade, Sessile Trillium | Spring-blooming, clumping perennial |
Waldsteinia [Geum] fragaroides | Northern or Appalachian Barren Strawberry | Evergreen mat-forming ground cover |
Zizia aurea | Golden Alexander | Larval host to Black Swallowtail |
Ferns | | |
Adiantum pedatum | Northern Maidenhair Fern | Delicate texture, sturdy constitution |
Diplazium pycnocarpon | Glade Fern | Rhizomatous fern of rich forests/slopes |
Dryopteris goldiana | Goldie’s or Giant Wood Fern | The giant of our native wood ferns |
Dryopteris marginalis | Marginal Wood Fern | Semi-evergreen woodland fern |
Onoclea sensibilis | Sensitive Fern | Spreads by rhizomes in deep shade |
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum | Cinnamon Fern | Tall fern bears fertile fronds in spring |
Phegopteris hexagonoptera | Broad Beech Fern | Deciduous woodland fern forms colonies |
Polystichum acrostichoides | Christmas Fern | Semi-evergreen tough, adaptable fern |
Woodwardia areolata | Netted Chain Fern | Deciduous fern, spreads in moist sites |
Grasses and sedges | | |
Carex blanda | Eastern Woodland Sedge | Evergreen clumping sedge; liriope alternative |
Carex flaccosperma | Thin-fruited or Blue Wood Sedge | Good texture, alternative to liriope |
Carex plantaginea | Plantain-leaved or Seersucker Sedge | Good texture, alternative to liriope |
Carex rosea | Rosy Sedge | Host plant for skippers & moths |
Chasmanthium latifolium | River Oats, Northern Oat Grass | Reseeds liberally; graceful habit |
Elymus hystrix | Bottlebrush Grass | Hosts over 30 species of lepidoptera |
Eragrostis spectabilis | Purple Love Grass | Clumping grass; hosts Zabulon skipper |
Erigeron pulchellus | Robin’s Plantain | High wildlife value, late spring bloom |
Panicum virgatum Northwind | Switchgrass cultivar NorthWind | Sturdy, compact; hosts skippers & butterflies |
Panicum virgatum Purple Tears | Switchgrass cultivar Purple Tears | Sturdy, compact; hosts skippers & butterflies |
Woody plants (trees and shrubs) | | |
Amelanchior canadensis | Canada Serviceberry | Brilliant fall color, edible fruit |
Calycanthus floridus | Eastern Sweetshrub, Carolina Allspice | Fragrant blooms |
Catalpa species | Catalpa or Catawba | Hosts the Catalpa Sphinx moth |
Cercis canadensis | Eastern Redbud | Fast growing adaptable tree; spring buds |
Cornus amomum | Silky Dogwood | Nourishes bees, birds & butterflies; fragrant |
Cornus florida | Flowering Dogwood | Nourishes bees, birds & butterflies |
Hamamelis virginiana | Witch Hazel | Brilliant fall color, late fall bloom |
Ilex opaca | American Holly | Understory woodland tree |
Itea Virginica | Virginia Sweetspire | Spring bloom, good fall color |
Lindera benzoin | Spicebush | Host for Spicebush & Tiger Swallowtails |
Magnolia virginiana | Sweetbay Magnolia | Fragrant late-spring flowers |
Morella cerifera | Wax Myrtle, Southern Bayberry | Aromatic foliage & blue berries |
Viburnum acerifolium | Maple-leaved Viburnum | Colorful in fall; birds feed on the drupes |
Viburnum dentatum | Arrowwood Viburnum | Creamy white flowers, blue-black fruit |
Viburnum nudum | Southern Wild Raisin, Possumhaw, Witherod | Showy, edible fruits, likes damp spots |