Note: Many plants will grow in a variety of light and moisture conditions. They will be most robust in their preferred conditions, but may grow well in sub-optimal conditions. The conditions below are a combination of recommendations from LBJ Wildflower Center (www.wildflower.org), Don Leopold’s book Native Plants for the Northeast, US Fish & Wildlife Service’s Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping and others. They may not address your own yard’s conditions.
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Size (ft) | Blooms | Light | Soil | Notes |
| Amelanchier arborea | Downy serviceberry, Common shadbush | 15-25 | Mar-May, white
Fleshy fruit, red to purple |
S-PS-Sh | D-M | Used by 58 species of wildlife, 35 bird species. Important early summer food. |
| Aquilegia canadensis | Wild columbine, Red columbine | 0.5-3 | Apr-Jul, red-yellow, showy. Fruit: capsule | S-PS | D-M | Nectar for hummingbirds, seed for finches. Needs well-drained soil, drought tolerant. Spreads by seed. Rocky woods, slopes, ledges. |
| Helianthus divaricatus | Woodland sunflower | 1.5-6.5 | Jul-Sept, white
Fruit: capsule |
PS | D-M | Gives color to shady understory. Seeds have high fat content. Dry open woods, slopes. |
| Juniperus virginiana | Eastern Red Cedar | 50-75, Spread 35-50 | Mar-Apr, red-purple Fruit: Jul-Mar, conelike | S-PS | D-M | Evergreen. Berries eaten by over 50 species of birds. |
| Lindera benzoin | Spicebush, Northern spicebush | 6-16 | Mar-May, yellow
Fruit: Sept-Oct, scarlet berry |
PS-Sh | M-W | Fast growing, drought, cold and heat resistant shrub. Fall color yellow. Aromatic. Host plant for spicebush swallowtail. |
| Panicum virgatum | Switchgrass | 3-6 | Jul-Aug | S-PS | D-M-W | Warm season grass. Food for sparrows. Grows in clumps, prevents erosion. Deer resistant. |
| Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Virginia creeper, Woodbine | Spread 3-35, vine | Jun-Aug, greenish white
Fruit Sep-Feb, dark blue berry |
S-PS-Sh | D-M-W | Fruit eaten by variety of wildlife. Bank stabilizer. Woody, deciduous vine; high climbing or trailing. Can be ground cover. |
| Prunus virginiana | American chokecherry | 20-30 Spread 20-35 | May-Jun white
Fruit: Aug-Sept, fleshy |
S-PS | M | Fast growing, short-lived. Open, moist sites, pioneer after fire. Fall color dark red, purple. Important summer wildlife food. |
| Salix discolor | Pussy willow | 12-20 | Mar, white, green
Fruit: furry catkins |
S | M | Fast growing, can be cut back every few years. Spring food source. |
| Solidago rugosa | Rough, or Rough-stemmed Goldenrod | 2-6 | Aug-Nov, yellow
Fruit: capsule |
S-PS | M-W | Forms clumps, likes well-drained soil. Fields, woods, floodplains, roadsides. |
| Sporobolus heterolepsis | Prairie dropseed | 1-2 | Jun-Aug, yellow, green, pink | S | D | Slow growing, clump-forming warm season grass. Fine textured, not flattened by snow. |
| Vernonia noveboracensis | New York ironweed | 3.5-8 | Aug-Oct, purple
Fruit: capsule |
S-PS | M-W | Brilliant flowers. Tall, upright form adds structure to garden. Spreads. Tolerates clay. Juglone tolerant. |
Key: Light: S= Sun, at least 6 hours/day direct sun in growing season
PS = Part Sun PSh = Part Shade
Sh = Shade, less than 3 hours direct sun/day, or filtered light
Soil: D= Dry, water does not remain after a rain M= Moist, soil is damp, may be occasionally saturated
W= Wet, soil is saturated for much of the growing season, except in droughts
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