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Spartina pectinata

Prairie Cordgrass is a tall, stiff, warm-season perennial grass. Its clustered branches of yellow-brown flowers bloom on spikelets, July-August. Its sharp-edged leaves have earned it one of its common names, Ripgut. Leaves turn yellow in the fall. Prairie Cordgrass provides habitat and nesting materials for birds and wildlife. It prefers wet, fertile, loamy soil and will tolerate periodic flooding; it creates thick stands in optimum conditions. However, it will also tolerate dry soils, where it will not grow or spread as quickly. The native habitat of Prairie Cordgrass includes freshwater marshes, as well as low roadside areas. Use it to aid in erosion control around ponds, or plant it in your rain garden. This plant is also used to vegetate large swales and retention basins.

Sporobolus heterolepis

Prairie Dropseed is an ornamental grass with pink- and brown-tinted flowers blooming August-October. Prairie Dropseed provides nesting material and structure for native bees. It tolerates air pollution and Black Walnut, as well as a wide range of soils, including clay. Prairie Dropseed creates good groundcover for hot, dry areas, or use it as an accent plant around your yard.

Schizachyrium scoparium

Little Bluestem is an ornamental grass with small, delicate, purplish-blue-bronze flowers, which appear in August. Leaf blades are blue at the base, turning green at the tip. Dried seed heads are silvery-white and offer winter interest. Use Little Bluestem in massed plantings in borders, native gardens, and meadows, or simply as an accent plant in 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.

Quercus muehlenbergii

Chinkapin Oak is a medium-sized, deciduous tree of the white oak group. It is monoecious; greenish-yellow flowers bloom on separate male and female catkins in April as leaves emerge. It has narrow, oblong, toothed leaves. Fall leaf color is variable, usually yellow-brown. It may take 30 years for this tree to mature to bear acorns, which provide food for birds and wildlife. Oaks are host to numerous beneficial insects, which in turn provide food for birds. Chinkapin Oak is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). It provides nesting space, cover, and shelter for wildlife. Chinkapin Oak is a low-maintenance, long-lived tree. This attractive tree is worth saving if it is already growing in your yard. Use it as a shade tree in large yards and parks, or in natural areas.

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.

Populus tremuloides

Quaking Aspen is a medium-sized deciduous tree. It is dioecious; inconspicuous flowers bloom in April on separate male or female trees. It features beautiful, white bark, and deep-green “quaking” leaves, which tremble in the wind. Fall foliage is a rich golden-yellow. Quaking Aspen prefers cooler climates, and is intolerant of heat and humidity. Quaking Aspen provides birds with nesting material and food. It is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Great Ash Sphinx (Sphinx chersis), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), and Viceroy (Limenitis archippus). Plant Quaking Aspen as a specimen tree or in woodlands and natural areas of your yard.

Phlox drummondii

Phlox features fragrant, pink flowers May-July; the flowers decline in the summer heat. It prefers consistently moist soil, but can tolerate short periods of dryness. Many cultivars offer a variety of colors to choose from. Phlox will re-seed itself and spread. It offers a valued nectar source for butterflies. Use Phlox as edging for your borders and beds, in your rock garden, and in containers. Plant in masses to offer maximum appeal in your yard.

Phlox divaricata

Wild Blue Phlox offers slightly fragrant, loose clusters of blue-violet flowers April-May. This wildlife-friendly flower offers nectar to visiting pollinators, including butterflies and bees. It is susceptible to powdery mildew; maintain good air circulation between plants to prevent this fungal disease. Use Wild Blue Phlox in mixed borders, wildflower gardens, shade gardens, and for woodland groundcover around your yard.

Paxistima canbyi

Canby’s Mountain-lover is a broadleaf evergreen groundcover. Its glossy, leathery, dark green leaves turn bronze-purple in winter. This low-maintenance plant is drought-tolerant once established. Use Canby’s Mountain-lover in your shade garden, as a groundcover, along woodland edges, in rock gardens, and in naturalized areas of your yard.