The red maple tree boasts vibrant foliage that provides essential nutrients for various wildlife species. Additionally, it is widely utilized in the furniture and flooring industries. Maple trees support a diverse range of butterfly and moth larvae, providing an early nectar source for emerging pollinators, often before the emergence of perennials. Their expansive, broad foliage…
The silver maple is very similar to the red maple. The difference is that its leaves turn yellow or brown, not red, in autumn. Sometimes, the trunks are hollow which creates space for wildlife to live in. Caring for Silver Maple Plant at least 10 feet from sidewalks, driveways and foundation as the roots spread…
Although the milky sap is poisonous to humans, poke milkweed is an important nectar source for native bees, wasps, and other nectar-seeking insects. Unfortunately, non-native honey bees commonly get trapped in the stigmatic slits and die. Milkweeds are also the larval food source for monarch butterflies and their relatives, as well as a variety of…
Alternate leaf dogwood has, as one would expect, alternate leaves, which turn to maroon foliage in the fall. When it is not competing with nearby trees or buildings, its branches will tier or layer horizontally, giving the appearance of a layered tierred pagoda with upturned branches. It has a fibrous, spreading root system and prefers…
Native to eastern North America, the American beech will stand out in any forest. It is a large deciduous tree, sometimes growing up to 120 feet tall . Its crown is typically dense, upright-oval to rounded-spreading. It blooms yellowish green flowers in the spring, the male flowers in drooping, long-stemmed, globular clusters and the female…
It is widely used as a Christmas tree and for wreaths. It smells great! It’s a good specimen fir for the landscape, and as an ornamental yard tree. However, it should not be planted in a Zone number higher than Zone 5. The pungent resin yields Canada balsam, used in the manufacture of varnish as…
Basswood Basswood, a resilient native tree, boasts beige-yellow aromatic flowers and captivating foliage. It produces fragrant nectar and vibrant flowers in early summer and attracts a substantial number of insect pollinators, including numerous native bee species. Various animal species feed on its seeds or browse on its twigs and foliage. The honey produced by basswood…
The Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) is one of the most imposing oaks, characterized by a trunk diameter that can reach up to 10 feet. It typically thrives in open spaces, away from the dense canopy of forests. In Canada, it can attain a height of 12 to 18 meters and a diameter of 60 to…
The Ironwood makes a great backyard tree as it is resistant to many diseases and insect problems. It tends to blend in with other trees and is commonly labelled as inconspicuous. Low to moderate pollution tolerance. Ironwood has the hardest wood of any native tree species, and is therefore not generally used for lumber. It…
Canada Mayflower can form large patches in a wide range of habitats, but it is most common in boreal coniferous forests. They are abundant on the forest floor and emerge tightly coiled. It blooms with frothy white flowers in late April. Its leaves are some of the earliest to appear in the spring. The white…
White baneberry, also known as Doll’s eyes, is a popular novelty plant to grow. In addition to its clusters of tiny white flowers, the plant produces white berries that have nearly black (deep purple) “pupils” that give the berries the appearance of traditional Chinese doll’s eyes. The berries are on attractive, deep pink stems. This…
Marsh marigolds resemble massive buttercups. It is a popular spring plant because of its vivid yellow blooms that bloom in moist soil. Yellow marsh marigold is a mounded perennial native to wet meadows, swamps, marshes, fens, and stream edges in Canada and North America from Newfoundland to Alaska and south to Nebraska, Tennessee, and North…
Highbush blueberries are a common fruit grown in home gardens that can be used fresh or frozen. Blueberry bushes are long-lived plants with a lifespan similar to that of fruit trees. The berries are versatile and can be enjoyed fresh, used in desserts, or stored by canning or freezing. In addition, the plants provide ornamental…
Showy Tick Trefoil is a native erect perennial forb growing from 3 to 5 feet high on leafy stems that branch at the inflorescence. The stem is green, taking on some reddish vertical color lines toward maturity, and has fine white hair. The plant is a perennial herb and grows in woods, prairies, and disturbed…
Goldenrods are a type of herbaceous flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, also known as the Compositae. Although the plant starts out green, the stem eventually turns grey-green and the plant as a whole turns golden with yellowish flowers. This perennial wildflower is also known as grey-stemmed goldenrod, probably due to its appearance. When you…
Corydalis sempervirens is an attractive biennial native to rocky, shallow-soil sites and cooler climates. It is easy to start from seed and has light to dark pink tubular flowers with yellow tips and greenish-blue leaves. Being a biennial, it will have basal rosettes at ground level the first year and flowering plants the second year….
Foxglove Beardtongue is a fantastic addition to native plantings, wild gardens, cottage gardens, and naturalized areas. Plant a solitary plant among shorter companions that have vibrant green foliage to create a specimen, or group several plants together to create a mass of dark foliage and numerous white flowers. It performs well in rain gardens despite…
Wild leek are one of the earliest wild edible plants to emerge in spring. Historically, ramps were regarded as a spring tonic, and early settlers relied on their restorative qualities after a long winter. Wild leek is a great as wild food plant, despite not being related to the leeks that are frequently grown in…
Red Baneberry (Actaea rubra) is a good choice for cool shade gardens due to its lovely leaves, blooms, and vivid red berries. Find it in nature in the woods and clearings. The stalk of this perennial plant is 30 to 40 cm long (up to about 18 inches). It differs from white baneberry by having…
Smooth Yellow Violet are highly desirable in a woodland garden. It can be used as a low-maintenance ground cover, in rock gardens, along paths and on slopes. Its delightful yellow flowers attract butterflies and bees. It is native to the eastern United States and Canada’s wetlands, and also grows in the temperate regions of Europe…
Dog Violet (Viola conspersa) is common in fields and pastures. It can be used as ground cover. The plants are only 2-4 cm tall in the spring, but they grow taller later in the summer. It has hairless leaves. The basal leaves are round or kidney-shaped, with rounded tips and fine rounded marginal teeth; the…
Canada Violet, a native upright perennial forb, grows 8 to 16 inches tall on stems that might be smooth, green, somewhat angular, or covered in extremely fine hair. This variety is distinguished from other white violas by its flowers, which emerge from the upper leaf axils, and by its yellow petal bases. They are resilient…
Sweet White Violet (Viola blanda) is a low-growing stoloniferous perennial with basal, heart-shaped leaves and fragrant, white flowers with strongly reflexed upper petals and a purple-veined lower petal. Sweet white violets can be found in open mixed woods and clearings in their native eastern United States and Canada. In the wild, they spread to form…
Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is known for its ability to thrive in swampy areas and wet meadows. It is a monarch butterfly host plant and is essential to their life. Despite its love of wet soils, due to its long taproot, it can tolerate average well-drained soils with ease. Showy, fragrant pink and white duo-tone…
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