Plant this, not that: A guide to plants that attract and sustain wildlife as well as beautify your garden

A variety of native plants (photos courtesy of the author)

by Kathy Sykes

Each Earth Day, we reflect on what we can do for Mother Earth, and meet the challenges that come from the changing climate and landscapes. Fortunately, there is a simple action we can take to respond: plant native plants.

A plant is considered native if it occurred naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat (and in North America, was here before the European settlers arrived). And, native plants are critical habitat and food sources for birds, insects and other wildlife that have coevolved with them over thousands of years.

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) are two examples of that ancient relationship.

A monarch butterfly on swamp milkweed

Monarch larvae require milkweed leaves for food and shelter, and the adult butterflies require nectar-rich and diverse flowers during their breeding and migration seasons, which in our area is between April and October. Monarch caterpillar host plants include three types of milkweeds: swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), and butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). The swamp and common milkweed bloom June to August. Butterfly milkweed bloom in June and July.

Adults are attracted to several native flowering plants. The blue mist flower blooms from July to November, a long blooming season. Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckis hirta) bloom from May to August. Blazing star (Liatris spicata) is an important June to September bloomer. Other native plants rich in nectar include Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium fisulosum), wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), wreath goldenrod (Solidago caesia), smooth blue aster (Symphyotrichum laeve), and spotted bee balm (Monarda punctata).

Black-eyed Susans and other coneflowers

The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird that frequents our area from spring through autumn. They prefer tube-shaped and nectar-filled red or orange flowers. Native favorites include trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), scarlet beebalm (Monarda didyma), wild bergamot (Monarda fisulosa), and cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis). They also feed on aphids, a garden pest, because they are a source of protein. And that’s an added bonus for the avid gardener, as aphids can damage leaves, stunt a plant’s growth, and cause leaf curling and yellowing.

Other native plants for pollinators in the mid-Atlantic

Recommended trees include red maple (Acer rebrum), Canadian serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis), eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), and American Basswood (Tilia americana).

Shrubs that feed native pollinators include the beautiful buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), the stunning crimsoneyed rosemallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), beach plum (Prunus maritima), and wetbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum).

Flowering plants that are magnets for our local pollinators include laceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum), smooth beard tongue (Penstemon digitalis), mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium), woodland sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus), zigzag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis), yellow wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), and New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae).

New England aster and goldenrod

Skip the nonnative butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) since it is an invasive plant from China. While its nectar does attract butterflies, caterpillars that emerge from their eggs will not survive because they can’t eat the plant’s leaves. The National Fish and Wildlife Service advises against planting the butterfly bush because it can quickly spread and push out native plants.

Recommended resources

Native plants from the Mid-Atlantic share common ecosystem characteristics: weather, seasons, wildlife, and soil. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has compiled several helpful guides with information unique to this area, including a list of native plants that provide nourishment to pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, and beetles.

Another terrific resource – to explore all the attributes of plants, shrubs and trees – is the
Missouri Botanical Garden, a trusted resource for gardeners across the country. You can type in the name of a plant and learn about its blossoms, months in bloom, height and spread, water and sun need requirements and whether it attracts pollinators.

Also, DC residents can request that Casey Trees plant a tree – at no cost – in your yard or in a tree box in front of your home.

And here are some of the places in the DC area that sell native plants:

• Chesapeake Natives, Upper Marlboro, Maryland
• American Plant, Bethesda, Maryland
• Earth Sangha, Springfield, Virginia
• Ginkgo Gardens, Capitol Hill, DC
• Nature by Design, Alexandria, Virginia

Every bloom, in every season, makes a difference

Bees and other pollinators need continuous food during their life cycle, so continuous blooms are needed from spring to winter. And, since the distances even from yard to yard are so great for small insects and butterflies, putting out even a small planter with life-sustaining native nectar and pollen can help a pollinator. Can you join in?

A bumblebee on a coneflower