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Sempervivum tectorum

Hens and Chicks is a mat-forming succulent with tightly-packed, rosette-shaped, evergreen leaves. Red-purple flowers bloom from upright stalks, June-July. After the parent plant flowers, it dies back, and the numerous offspring proliferate, filling in nooks and crannies in your rock garden or edge. Hens and Chicks provides winter interest, as it persists through cold temperatures. It tolerates poor soil and air pollution. Use Hens and Chicks in rock gardens, edges, containers, or as a small-area groundcover for your yard. Hens and Chicks provides best appeal when planted in a mass.

Scirpus cyperinus

Woolgrass needs wet, partly shady conditions. This wildlife-friendly plant has seeds and roots that are eaten by waterfowl. It also provides waterfowl with cover and nesting sites. It is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including the Dion Skipper (Euphyes dion). Use Woolgrass in rain gardens, moist low areas, and along edges of ponds or streams, where it can provide erosion control.

Sassafras albidum

Sassafras is a slender, flowering tree. Yellow flowers blooming April-May provide a nectar source for bees. Fruits ripen in September and are attractive to birds. It is dioecious; both male and female plants are needed to produce fruit. This tree has stunning fall foliage in shades of yellow, orange, scarlet, and purple. Sassafras is an important host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus), Promethea Silkmoth (Callosamia promethea), and Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon). The best results for fruit and foliage color are achieved if planted in groups. Use Sassafras in naturalized areas or as a specimen tree.

Sarracenia purpurea

Purple Pitcherplant is native to New Jersey bogs. It features a distinctive, red flower, which blooms on a single scape (stalk) May-June; the flower may persist through the summer. This carnivorous plant receives nutrients from captured insects and other invertebrates; however, it also photosynthesizes. It requires a consistently moist, acidic, humus-rich bog environment, and may be considered high-maintenance for the typical gardener. Purple Pitcherplant can be grown at home in containers that offer the conditions that meet its specific needs.

Sambucus racemosa

Red Elderberry’s clusters of creamy-white flowers bloom May-June, and provide nectar to native bees and butterflies. The berries are reputedly poisonous and are inedible to humans, but are an attractive food source for birds. Hollow stems offer nest sites and nest materials to native bees. Red Elderberry attracts beneficial predatory insects, which prey on garden insect pests. Use Common Elderberry as a small specimen tree or large shrub in borders around your yard.

Sambucus canadensis

American Black Elderberry is a spreading, deciduous shrub with clusters of white flowers from June-July. It provides an attractve nectar source for butterflies and bees. Berries ripen in late summer and provide a food source for birds. The fruit can be used in jellies, pies, juice, and wine. Use American Black Elderberry in shrub borders, moist roadside plantings, or as a privacy screen around your yard.

Salvia splendens

Scarlet Sage is a tender perennial, grown as an annual. Its showy, red flowers blooming June to frost provide a nectar source to a host of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Use it in mixed borders and containers, or plant it around your yard for a burst of summer-long color.

Salvia spp.

Salvia,or Sage, is a large genus offering many species in various sizes and colors. Sage is a wildlife-friendly plant, which is very attractive to hummingbirds, numerous native butterfly species, native bees, bumblebees, and honey bees. Sage is typically a low-maintenance plant tolerant of dry soil. It offers consistent summer blooming. Use it in mixed borders and butterfly gardens, or to provide colorful accents around your yard.

Salix nigra

Black Willow is a fast-growing, flowering tree. Yellow-green flowers bloom April-May, providing a nectar source for native bees, honeybees, bumblebees, and beneficial predatory insects, which prey on garden pest insects. It is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Viceroy (Limenitis archippus), Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa), Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), and Acadian Hairstreak (Satyrium acadica). Black Willow has attractive, deeply furrowed bark. Use it as specimen tree in moist areas around your yard, or along streambanks for erosion control.

Rudbeckia hirta

Blackeyed Susan features daisy-like flowers with bright yellow-orange rays and brown center disks. The long bloom time lasts from June-September. This plant provides a nectar source for bees, and birds eat the ripe seeds. Blackeyed Susan is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia) and Gorgone Checkerspot (Chlosyne gorgone). It does not tolerate prolonged, wet weather. Use Blackeyed Susan in your borders, beds, meadows, and naturalized areas. It also makes an excellent fresh-cut flower for bouquets.