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Rhus glabra

Smooth Sumac features yellowish-green flowers which bloom June-July. it is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. Both male and female plants are needed to produce fruit. Female flowers lead to large clusters of red berries which ripen in August; the berries are an attractive food source for birds. Nectar offers food for butterflies and bees. Smooth Sumac is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars) including Hairstreak (Hypaurotis spp.). Fall foliage is yellow to orange-red-purple. Use Smooth Sumac for mass plantings in dry, nutrient-poor soil areas. It will spread to form colonies.

Rhus aromatica

Fragrant Sumac features yellow flowers, which bloom March-April. It is monoecious; male and female flowers appear separately on the same plant. Female flowers produce berries, which are eaten by birds. Leaves and twigs are aromatic when bruised. Fall foliage is orange to red to reddish-purple. Branches will root themselves where they touch the ground. Fragrant Sumac is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops). Use Fragrant Sumac in mass plantings, foundations, borders, and for stabilizing slopes.

Quercus rubra

Red Oak is a medium-sized, deciduous tree. It is monoecious; insignificant separate male and female catkins appear in spring. The acorns mature in early fall and provide food for birds and wildlife. Fall foliage is russet-red to bright-red, but occasionally yellow-brown. It prefers fertile, dry, sandy soil. Red Oak provides nesting space, cover, and shelter for wildlife. Oaks are host to numerous beneficial insects, which in turn provide food for birds. Red Oak is a host plant to butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). Use it as a specimen in your yard, a street tree, or lawn tree.

Quercus marilandica

Black-jack Oak is a small to medium, deciduous tree of the red oak group. It is monoecious; male catkins and female spikes bloom separately on the same tree in May. Its dark green leaves are leathery with 3-5 bristle-tipped lobes. Foliage turns brown in fall. Black-jack Oak grows in sandy, infertile soil where it is hard for other plants to grow. The acorns provide food for birds and wildlife. Oaks are host to numerous beneficial insects, which in turn provide food for birds. Black-jack Oak provides nesting space, cover, and shelter for wildlife. Use it in natural areas or native plant gardens around your yard. This tree is worth saving if it is already growing in your yard.

Quercus alba

White Oak is a large, wildlife-friendly, deciduous tree of the white oak group. Mature White Oak trees are wide and spreading. It is monoecious; greenish-yellow flowers bloom on separate male and female catkins in April. It tolerates occasional flooding and drought, and has medium-high wind resistance. Acorns provide a valuable food source for birds and wildlife. White Oaks are host to numerous, inconspicuous insects, which in turn provide food for birds. It is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Edwards Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii). White Oak provides nesting space, cover, and shelter for wildlife. Use White Oak as a shade tree for your large yard, neighborhood park, or naturalized area. It can be used as a street tree, but needs room to spread.

Ptelea trifoliata

Common Hoptree is a small, deciduous, flowering tree or pruned shrub. Tiny, white flowers bloom in June. The flowers can have an unpleasant fragrance, and are pollinated by carrion flies. The fruit can be used as a substitute for hops. Common Hoptree is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) and Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes). Plant Common Hoptree as a specimen or in groups in your yard. It can also be used as a hedge or for a screen.

Prunus virginiana

Chokecherry is a small, wildlife-friendly, deciduous tree. It features white flowers, which bloom April-May, providing an early nectar source for butterflies and bees. Flowers are followed by edible fruit. The astringent berry changes from red to purple as it ripens. The berries can be used for jams, jellies, pies, sauces, and wine. The fruits are a valued food source for birds. Fall foliage is golden-yellow to orange. Chokecherry is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including California Hairstreak (Satyrium californica), Sequoia Sphinx (Sphinx sequoiae), Small-eyed Sphinx (Paonias myops), and Columbia Silkmoth (Hyalophora columbia). Use Chokecherry as a specimen in your yard and along foundations, plant in a mass and prune as a shrub border, or use in natural areas to attract wildlife to your yard.

Prunus serotina

Black Cherry is a medium-large, wildlife-friendly, flowering shade tree. White flowers bloom in May, followed by small, edible berries. The fruit changes from red to black as it ripens in August-September. It is used for making wine and jelly. Fall foliage is yellow-red. Black Cherry offers much value for birds, butterflies, bees, and wildlife. It is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), New England Buckmoth (Hemileuca lucina), Viceroy (Limenitis archippus), Columbia Silkmoth (Hyalophora columbia), Cherry Gall Azure (Celastrina serotina), Promethea Moth (Callosamia promethea), Small-eyed Sphinx Moth (Paonias myops), Wild Cherry Sphinx Moth (Sphinx drupiferarum), Banded Tussock Moth (Halysidota tessellaris), and Spotted Apatelodes (Apatelodes torrefacta). Use Black Cherry as a specimen tree or shade tree in your yard.

Prunus maritima

Beach Plum is a rounded, dense, suckering shrub. Clusters of white flowers bloom April-May, before the leaves emerge, providing an early nectar source for native bees and pollinators. Edible fruits ripen to a dark purple in September and are valued by wildlife as a food source. The berries are used to make jellies and jams. Plant Beach Plum in shrub borders, wild hedges, foundation plantings, or as an ornamental specimen plant in your yard.

Prunus laurocerasus

Cherry Laurel is a broad, spreading, evergreen shrub. Its small white flowers cover erect stems April-May. Black fruits ripen in the summer and provide a food source for birds; however, the berries are inedible to humans. Prune as needed after flowering. Use Cherry Laurel in shrub borders, as pruned hedges, in a shade garden, or along woodland edges in your yard.