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Chimaphila maculata

Spotted Wintergreen is a low-growing evergreen perennial. The thick, dark green, waxy leaf has a white stripe down the center and serrated edges. Small, fragrant, waxy, white, or pale pink flowers bloom on erect, red stalks, June-August. The flowers attract insect pollinators. The flowers turn upward after fertilization and develop into attractive, dried seed capsules. The leaves have a darker, purplish color in the winter. Use Spotted Wintergreen in woodland gardens, shady naturalized areas, or as a groundcover. It is a good plant to keep if already growing in your yard.

Caltha palustris

Marsh Marigold is a mounded, succulent perennial with large, showy, bright yellow flowers, which bloom April-June. The common name is misleading, since the flowers resemble buttercups rather than marigolds. The glossy leaves are described as having a heart or kidney shape. When ripe, the seed pods split open to disperse the seeds. As the common name suggests, this plant prefers wet, boggy soils. Use it in rain gardens, bog gardens, or shallow water margins of ponds and water gardens.

Callirhoe involucrata

Purple Poppy Mallow is a lovely, drought-tolerant perennial with a long bloom period. The attractive, deeply lobed foliage forms a dense mat, which chokes out weeds. Its cup-shaped, magenta flowers start blooming in the spring and continue through the summer and well into the fall. This perennial is a nectar source for bees and a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). It grows well in hot, sunny, dry locations. Purple Poppy Mallow is a versatile plant, which fits into both formal and wildflower gardens. Use it in sunny borders and beds, rock gardens, meadows, hanging baskets, or as a cascading plant over walls. Excellent groundcover for covering slopes and steep banks.

Boltonia asteroides

White Doll’s Daisy has delicate, aster-like flowers with narrow, white (sometimes pink or purple) rays and yellow centers. The flowers bloom August-October, adding white to the fall garden. The flowers are good fresh-cut for bouquets. Taller plants need support; however, cutting back plants in late spring keeps them compact. Use White Doll’s Daisy for naturalizing or in meadows and wildflower gardens.

Baptisia tinctoria

Horseflyweed is a bushy perennial with small, yellow, pea-like flowers blooming May-June. The flowers are borne in clusters on tall stems above a mound of gray-green foliage. The flower nectar has special value to native bees and bumblebees. This plant is a host to moth and butterfly larvae (caterpillars), including Frosted Elfin (Callophrys irus), Dusky-winged Butterfly (Thanaos brizo), and Io Moth (Automeris io), and is the only known food source for Wild Indigo Dusky Winged (Erynnis baptisiae) butterfly larvae. Its reputation for protecting horses and mules from horseflies led to its common name, Horseflyweed. Use it in a meadow garden, sunny informal area, or in a butterfly or pollinator garden.

Baptisia australis

Blue Wild Indigo is a tall, bushy perennial with lupine-like, purple flowers, which bloom May-June. The flowers are borne in clusters at the top of tall stems, which extend above a mound of blue-green foliage. It tolerates both drought and poor soils.

Aurinia saxatilis

Goldentuft is a low-growing, mat-forming perennial, which produces a bountiful bloom of bright yellow flowers in spring, April-May. It tolerates drought and dry soils. The mounds of gray-green leaves covered in golden flowers look great in rock gardens or growing over rock walls. It can also be used in beds, as an edging plant, or as a groundcover on slopes.

Asclepias tuberosa

Butterfly Weed is a long-blooming, drought-tolerant, wildlife-friendly perennial. Its showy, bright orange flowers bloom in flat-topped clusters, June-August. The nectar is attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds; it has special value for native bees. The flowers are followed by attractive seed pods, which are used in dried flower arrangements. Butterfly Weed is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus), Queen (Danaus gilippus), and Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). Butterfly Weed does not have milky sap like other milkweeds; however, like other milkweeds, the leaves contain cardiac glycosides. When ingested by Monarch butterfly larvae feeding on the leaves, these substances make them (and the adult butterflies) toxic to birds and other predators. This plant’s deep tap root makes it difficult to transplant once established. Use Butterfly Weed in sunny borders, meadows, rain gardens, and butterfly gardens.

Asclepias syriaca

Common Milkweed is a wildlife-friendly perennial. The large, thick leaves are light green with red veins. Rounded clusters of fragrant, pinkish-purple flowers bloom June-August. Large, bumpy seed pods split open when ripe to release silky, wind-dispersed seeds. The seed pods are used in dried floral arrangements. This plant’s nectar is a food source for butterflies, native bees, bumblebees, and honeybees. Common Milkweed is an important nectar source and larval (caterpillar) host plant for Monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterflies. The leaves and stems have a milky sap, which contains cardiac glycosides. When ingested by Monarch butterfly larvae feeding on the leaves, the cardiac glycosides make them (and the adult butterflies) toxic to birds and other predators. Common Milkweed grows well in poor, dry soils. It spreads by self-seeding and rhizomes (underground stems) to form colonies. This plant is best used in wildlife gardens, meadows, and other naturalized areas.

Asclepias incarnata

Swamp Milkweed is a wildlife-friendly perennial. Clusters of fragrant, pink flowers bloom at the top of stems, July-August. The flowers are followed by elongated seed pods, which are used in dried flower arrangements. The flower nectar is an important food source for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds; it has special value for native bees. Swamp Milkweed is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and Queen (Danaus gilippus). Stems and leaves have a milky sap, which contains cardiac glycosides. When ingested by Monarch butterfly larvae feeding on the leaves, the cardiac glycosides make them (and the adult butterflies) toxic to birds and other predators. As its name suggests, Swamp Milkweed prefers wet soils, but it will tolerate well-drained soils in cultivation. Its deep tap root makes it difficult to transplant once established. Use this plant in rain gardens, along edges of ponds or streams, and in other moist areas of the yard. It can also be used in the back of borders, in meadows, and butterfly gardens.