Summer flowers
Swamp milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A locally native milkweed gives monarch caterpillars food and visiting butterflies a summer nectar stop.
Instead of tropical milkweed
Meet this plantPhoto: Joshua Mayer · CC-BY-SA 2.0
All statesNative plants
A GARDEN THAT BELONGS HERE
Native plants
for Illinois.
Familiar garden favorites, with native roots.
Find your first swap for sun, shade, and the soil underfoot.
6+ hours of direct sun
Full sun
Upright purple flower spikes
Dense blazing star
Liatris spicata
Purple flower spikes draw bees and butterflies, while their seeds feed goldfinches later in the season.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: Hedwig Storch · CC BY-SA 3.0
Late-season flower color
Rough goldenrod
Solidago rugosa
Late yellow flowers feed bees and butterflies when many other garden blooms have finished.
Instead of garden mum
Meet this plantPhoto: F. D Richards · CC BY-SA 4.0
A pollinator-friendly shrub
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Round flower clusters feed bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, followed by seeds for birds.
Instead of butterfly bush
Meet this plantPhoto: Al Riordan · CC BY 4.0
Big, bold summer flowers
Swamp rose mallow
Hibiscus moscheutos
Large native flowers feed specialist bees, and standing hollow stems offer nesting places.
Instead of tropical hibiscus
Meet this plantPhoto: Andrew Cannizzaro · CC BY 2.0
White flowers for a wet meadow
Common boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Late native flowers feed many pollinators, and seedheads supply food for birds.
Instead of butterfly bush
Meet this plantPhoto: H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0
Tall late-season pollinator flowers
Spotted Joe-Pye weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Native flower clusters supply late-season nectar for bees and butterflies.
Instead of butterfly bush
Meet this plantPhoto: Kathleen Moore · CC BY 4.0
Upright pink flower spikes
Obedient plant
Physostegia virginiana
Native summer flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: Susan Strine · CC BY 2.0
Tall yellow summer flowers
Wild senna
Senna hebecarpa
Native leaves feed sulphur butterfly caterpillars, while flowers supply pollen for bumblebees.
Instead of butterfly bush
Meet this plantPhoto: Steve Law · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Summer flowers for a moist hedge
White meadowsweet
Spiraea alba
Native flowers feed pollinators, and foliage hosts spring azure caterpillars.
Instead of japanese spirea
Meet this plantPhoto: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0
Broad leaves and tall native grass texture
Eastern gamagrass
Tripsacum dactyloides
Native grass clumps shelter quail, feed seed-eating birds, and host skipper caterpillars.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Matt Lavin · CC BY-SA 2.0 DE
A flowering border
Wild bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Its lavender blooms feed bees and hummingbirds, and hollow stems can shelter nesting bees.
Instead of garden mum
Meet this plantPhoto: Joshua Mayer · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Long-lasting daisy flowers
Orange coneflower
Rudbeckia fulgida
Golden flowers feed pollinators, and seedheads left standing become a fall food source for goldfinches.
Instead of shasta daisy
Meet this plantPhoto: F. D. Richards · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A sunny perennial border
Purple coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Open flowers feed bees and butterflies, and the seed-filled cones keep feeding songbirds after bloom.
Instead of shasta daisy
Meet this plantPhoto: Cathy Dewitt · CC BY 4.0
Upright flower spires
Foxglove beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
White tubular flowers provide nectar for bees, hummingbirds, and other visiting pollinators.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: Andrey-Zharkikh · CC BY 4.0
A small flowering border
Nodding onion
Allium cernuum
Nodding flower clusters feed bees and butterflies, with seeds for songbirds.
Instead of lilyturf
Meet this plantPhoto: Fritzflohrreynolds · CC BY-SA 3.0
Long-lasting silver-white flowers
Pearly everlasting
Anaphalis margaritacea
This native perennial feeds painted lady caterpillars as well as visiting pollinators.
Instead of garden mum
Meet this plantPhoto: Kryzystof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0
A native tree with white bark
Paper birch
Betula papyrifera
Native birch leaves feed moth and butterfly caterpillars while the canopy adds light shade.
Instead of european white birch
Meet this plantPhoto: Joshua Mayer · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A flowering evergreen climber
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
Early trumpet-shaped flowers supply nectar for hummingbirds and other pollinators.
Instead of english ivy
Meet this plantPhoto: Susan Strine · CC BY 2.0
A sunny yellow-flowered border
Lanceleaf coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Golden native flowers feed bees and butterflies, with seeds for birds.
Instead of shasta daisy
Meet this plantPhoto: Andrey Zharkikh · CC BY 2.0
A compact flowering shrub
Shrubby cinquefoil
Dasiphora fruticosa
A long season of native flowers supports bumblebees, specialist bees, and butterflies.
Instead of japanese spirea
Meet this plantPhoto: jacinta lluch valero · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Tall pink flower spires
Fireweed
Epilobium angustifolium
Native flowers feed bees, and the foliage supports moth and butterfly caterpillars.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plant
Layered flowers for pollinators
Spotted beebalm
Monarda punctata
Native flowers feed bees, wasps, and hummingbirds, while leaves host moth caterpillars.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: johnx12 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A flowering vine for a sunny fence
Purple passionflower
Passiflora incarnata
Native leaves feed several fritillary butterflies, and flowers provide nectar for pollinators.
Instead of english ivy
Meet this plantPhoto: Linda Querec · CC BY 2.0
A white-barked tree with golden fall color
Quaking aspen
Populus tremuloides
This native tree adds wildlife cover and leaves that shimmer in the breeze.
Instead of european white birch
Meet this plantPhoto: James St. John · CC BY 2.0
A flowering small tree with fruit
Chokecherry
Prunus virginiana
Native foliage feeds swallowtail caterpillars, and the fruit feeds birds.
Instead of heavenly bamboo
Meet this plantPhoto: Maxime Laterreur · CC BY-SA 4.0
Silver-topped pollinator flowers
Blunt mountain mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Native flowers feed butterflies and other pollinators, while leaves host wavy-lined emerald caterpillars.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: Cathy Dewitt · CC BY 4.0
Fine foliage and summer flowers
Narrowleaf mountain mint
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Native flowers feed sweat bees and butterflies, and leaves host wavy-lined emerald caterpillars.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: Cyndy Sims Parr · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A fragrant native flowering border
Virginia mountain mint
Pycnanthemum virginianum
Many small native flowers offer summer food for visiting pollinators.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: Frank Mayfield · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Golden summer daisies
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Native flowers feed butterflies, and seedheads feed goldfinches in fall.
Instead of shasta daisy
Meet this plantPhoto: Dotty Leatherwood · CC BY 4.0
Fine grassy leaves and blue flowers
Blue-eyed grass
Sisyrinchium angustifolium
Small native flowers feed bumblebees, sweat bees, butterflies, and flies.
Instead of lilyturf
Meet this plantPhoto: Susan Shrine · CC BY 2.0
Purple flowers for the end of summer
New England aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Native flowers feed late-season bees and migrating monarchs, while seeds feed birds.
Instead of garden mum
Meet this plantPhoto: Drew Avery · CC BY 2.0
A fruiting shrub with fall color
Highbush blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
Native flowers feed bees, and berries feed a wide range of birds and mammals.
Instead of burning bush
Meet this plantPhoto: Rob Hille · CC BY-SA 3.0
A bold grass for a coastal garden
Beach wildrye
Leymus mollis
Native rhizomes help stabilize sandy coastal ground.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Ryan Hodnett · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nodding flowers and feathery seedheads
Prairie smoke
Geum triflorum
Native flowers feed bees and butterflies before turning into airy seedheads.
Instead of bloody cranesbill
Meet this plant
A butterfly border
Butterfly weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Unlike butterfly bush, this native milkweed feeds monarch caterpillars as well as nectar-seeking butterflies.
Instead of butterfly bush
Meet this plantPhoto: Cathy DeWitt · CC BY 4.0
A low evergreen groundcover
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Its flowers support pollinators and its red berries provide food for birds and other wildlife.
Instead of bearberry cotoneaster
Meet this plantPhoto: Walter Siegmund · CC BY-SA 3.0
A textured ornamental grass
Little bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Native grass blades feed skipper caterpillars, and standing clumps shelter wildlife through winter.
Instead of chinese silvergrass
Meet this plantPhoto: Montrealais · CC BY-SA 3.0
Easygoing meadow flowers
Prairie coneflower
Ratibida columnifera
Native prairie flowers offer pollen and nectar for bees and butterflies in a sunny border.
Instead of shasta daisy
Meet this plantPhoto: Jeff Coffman · CC BY 2.0
Purple prairie flower spikes
Purple prairie clover
Dalea purpurea
Purple flower spikes feed pollinators, and the leaves host native butterfly caterpillars.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: cultivar413 · CC BY 2.0
A small grass with dancing seedheads
Blue grama
Bouteloua gracilis
A low native prairie grass brings lasting ground-level cover to a dry garden.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Matt Lavin · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A soft cloud of ornamental grass
Pink muhly grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Native grass clumps shelter wildlife, while seedheads feed songbirds and small mammals.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plant
A low silver-green groundcover
Plantain-leaved pussytoes
Antennaria plantaginifolia
Its native leaves feed American lady butterfly caterpillars.
Instead of bugleweed
Meet this plantPhoto: Susan Strine · CC BY 2.0
White prairie flower spikes
White prairie clover
Dalea candida
Native flower spikes feed pollinators, and foliage hosts dogface butterfly caterpillars.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: Matt Lavin · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A low grass with pink seedheads
Purple lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis
Airy native seedheads add fall color and attract songbirds and small mammals.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Katja Schulz · CC BY 2.0
A fine-textured clumping grass
Prairie dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Native seeds feed sparrows and juncos, while foliage feeds prairie insects.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Joshua Mayer · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Low mounds of autumn flowers
Aromatic aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Late native flowers feed pollinators, and hollow stems can shelter nesting bees.
Instead of garden mum
Meet this plantPhoto: Fritz Flohr Reynolds · CC BY-SA 4.0
A compact grass for a dry border
Prairie junegrass
Koeleria macrantha
This native grass greens up early and tolerates drought once established.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Stefan.lefnaer · CC BY-SA 4.0
2–6 hours of direct sun
Part sun & shade
A flowering shrub
Virginia sweetspire
Itea virginica
Fragrant flowers feed local pollinators, and the seeds give songbirds another food source.
Instead of japanese spirea
Meet this plantPhoto: Cathy DeWitt · CC BY 4.0
A colorful wildlife hedge
Red-osier dogwood
Cornus sericea
White berries feed birds, and this native shrub also hosts spring azure butterfly caterpillars.
Instead of burning bush
Meet this plantPhoto: Tom Brandt · CC BY 2.0
Arching grass for moist shade
River oats
Chasmanthium latifolium
Leaves feed native skipper and pearly-eye caterpillars, and the nodding seeds feed birds.
Instead of lilyturf
Meet this plantPhoto: Katja Schultz · CC BY 2.0
A small evergreen flowering shrub
Bog rosemary
Andromeda polifolia
Low native evergreen foliage and pink bells bring year-round structure to a cool bog garden.
Instead of bearberry cotoneaster
Meet this plantPhoto: H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0
A shrub with autumn color
Black chokeberry
Aronia melanocarpa
Native flowers attract pollinators, while dark fruit and red fall leaves extend seasonal interest.
Instead of burning bush
Meet this plant
Late flowers for a moist border
White turtlehead
Chelone glabra
Native leaves feed Baltimore checkerspot caterpillars, and late blooms feed pollinators.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: R.A Nonenmacher · CC BY-SA 4.0
Late blue flowers for moist ground
Blue mistflower
Conoclinium coelestinum
Nectar-rich flowers feed butterflies, followed by seeds for birds.
Instead of garden mum
Meet this plantPhoto: Bob Peterson · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Fine-textured grass and airy plumes
Tufted hairgrass
Deschampsia cespitosa
This native grass adds songbird habitat and flower plumes that persist into winter.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bright berries on bare winter branches
Winterberry holly
Ilex verticillata
Native berries supply winter food for birds, while leaves host Henry's elfin caterpillars.
Instead of heavenly bamboo
Meet this plantPhoto: SB Johnny · CC BY-SA 3.0
Flowers for a wet border
Southern blue flag
Iris virginica
Native violet flowers and upright leaves thrive where an ordinary border stays too wet.
Instead of orange daylily
Meet this plantPhoto: Justin Meissen · CC BY-SA 4.0
Red flowers for a moist border
Cardinal flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Late red flowers supply nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: Debbie Roos · CC BY 2.0
Blue flower spikes for moist shade
Great blue lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Native flower tubes feed bumblebees and other long-tongued pollinators.
Instead of woodland sage
Meet this plantPhoto: H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0
A flowering groundcover
Woodland phlox
Phlox divaricata
Its soft spring flowers offer nectar for butterflies and bees at the woodland edge.
Instead of common periwinkle
Meet this plantPhoto: Hope Duckworth · CC BY 4.0
A soft flowering border
Wild geranium
Geranium maculatum
Spring flowers feed bees and butterflies, and songbirds can eat the seeds that follow.
Instead of bloody cranesbill
Meet this plantPhoto: Cathy Dewitt · CC BY 4.0
A mound of textured foliage
American alumroot
Heuchera americana
Airy flower stalks add nectar for bees and other pollinators above a low mound of native leaves.
Instead of heartleaf bergenia
Meet this plantPhoto: Behnke Nurseries, Inc. · CC BY 4.0
Tall, feathery flowers for shade
Goat's beard
Aruncus dioicus
Native flower plumes attract pollinators, and the foliage feeds dusky azure caterpillars.
Instead of japanese spirea
Meet this plantPhoto: Meneekre bloem · CC BY-SA 4.0
A flowering groundcover
Wild strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Native spring flowers feed pollinators, including specialist bees.
Instead of bugleweed
Meet this plantPhoto: Matt Lavin · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A summer-flowering woodland shrub
Smooth hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Fertile native flowers feed pollinators, and the foliage hosts hydrangea sphinx moth caterpillars.
Instead of japanese spirea
Meet this plantPhoto: Michelle Campbell · CC0
A flowering shrub for a natural hedge
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Native flowers attract bees, and the shrub provides habitat for birds.
Instead of japanese spirea
Meet this plantPhoto: F. D. Richards · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A low berry-bearing groundcover
Lowbush blueberry
Vaccinium angustifolium
Native bees pollinate spring flowers, followed by berries for birds and other wildlife.
Instead of bearberry cotoneaster
Meet this plantPhoto: Leonora Enking · CC-BY-SA 2.0
A flowering hedge with dark berries
Arrowwood viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Native fruit feeds songbirds, and the shrub can host spring azure caterpillars.
Instead of heavenly bamboo
Meet this plantPhoto: Fritz Flohr Reynolds · CC BY-SA 4.0
A flowering hedge for cold climates
Prickly rose
Rosa acicularis
Native pink flowers and red hips bring seasonal interest to a cold-climate hedge.
Instead of rugosa rose
Meet this plantPhoto: Jonathan Billinger · CC BY-SA 2.0
Tall grass for a woodland edge
Blue wildrye
Elymus glaucus
Native bunches provide habitat for birds and mammals and help stabilize disturbed ground.
Instead of maiden grass
Meet this plantPhoto: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nodding spring flowers
Eastern red columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Red-and-yellow flowers give hummingbirds and bumblebees a nectar stop in spring.
Instead of asian bleeding heart
Meet this plantPhoto: Patty Felder · CC BY 4.0
A shrub with lasting berries
Common snowberry
Symphoricarpos albus
Native foliage feeds snowberry clearwing caterpillars, and white berries provide food for wildlife.
Instead of heavenly bamboo
Meet this plantPhoto: Patrick Standish · CC BY 2.0
Less than 2 hours of direct sun
Shade
Fern texture for a wet woodland
Crested wood fern
Dryopteris cristata
Native fronds cover moist shaded ground, with some foliage remaining through mild winters.
Instead of japanese painted fern
Meet this plantPhoto: Nature Serve · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Broad fern fronds for damp ground
Sensitive fern
Onoclea sensibilis
Native fern colonies provide low cover for woodland wildlife.
Instead of japanese painted fern
Meet this plantPhoto: Hornet Photography · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Tall fern texture for a wet woodland
Cinnamon fern
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
Native fern clumps shelter birds, which also use the stem hairs to line nests.
Instead of japanese holly fern
Meet this plantPhoto: David J. Stang · CC BY-SA 4.0
A leafy groundcover
Wild ginger
Asarum canadense
Broad native leaves protect woodland soil, while its hidden flowers are pollinated by flies and beetles.
Instead of english ivy
Meet this plantPhoto: Kathy Sill · CC BY 4.0
Year-round fern texture
Christmas fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Evergreen fronds provide winter cover close to the ground and nesting material for songbirds.
Instead of japanese painted fern
Meet this plantPhoto: Photo by Cranbrook Science · CC BY 2.0
Broad, textured woodland leaves
Plantain-leaved sedge
Carex plantaginea
Native sedge clumps shelter small wildlife and provide seeds for birds and small mammals.
Instead of lilyturf
Meet this plantPhoto: Cathy DeWitt · CC BY 4.0
An evergreen woodland fern
Marginal wood fern
Dryopteris marginalis
Evergreen fronds give ground-level wildlife cover and supply material for songbird nests.
Instead of japanese holly fern
Meet this plantPhoto: desultrix · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Delicate, arching fern texture
Northern maidenhair fern
Adiantum pedatum
Lacy fronds shelter small woodland animals and provide material for bird nests.
Instead of japanese painted fern
Meet this plant
A flowering woodland climber
Virgin's bower
Clematis virginiana
Fragrant native flowers offer nectar for bees and hummingbirds, even in a shaded garden.
Instead of english ivy
Meet this plantPhoto: Cathy DeWitt · CC BY 4.0
A flowering woodland groundcover
Bunchberry
Cornus canadensis
Small native flowers feed pollinators, and red berries provide food for birds.
Instead of common periwinkle
Meet this plantPhoto: Peganum · CC-BY-SA 2.0
Arching foliage for woodland shade
False Solomon's seal
Maianthemum racemosum
Native spring flowers feed insects, followed by berries for birds and small mammals.
Instead of fragrant hosta
Meet this plantPhoto: Kathy Sill · CC BY 4.0
A leafy climber with fall color
Virginia creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Native berries feed birds and mammals, while small flowers feed pollinators.
Instead of english ivy
Meet this plantPhoto: Hope Duckworth · CC BY 4.0
Red-and-yellow woodland flowers
Carolina pink
Spigelia marilandica
Native tubular flowers supply nectar for hummingbirds in a shaded garden.
Instead of asian bleeding heart
Meet this plantPhoto: Cathy Dewitt · CC BY 4.0
A broad-leaved woodland shrub
Thimbleberry
Rubus parviflorus
Native flowers and raspberry-like fruit add interest without thorny canes.
Instead of rugosa rose
Meet this plantPhoto: CAJC: in the PNW · CC BY-SA 2.0
Flowers and arching woodland foliage
Starry Solomon's plume
Maianthemum stellatum
Native berries attract birds and small mammals after the spring flower display.
Instead of fragrant hosta
Meet this plantPhoto: Walter Siegmund (talk) · CC BY 2.5
A soft, grassy groundcover
Pennsylvania sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Fine native blades provide cover and support butterfly larvae, with seeds for birds and small mammals.
Instead of lilyturf
Meet this plantPhoto: Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0
Grow with local know-how.
Use your garden’s sunlight, soil moisture, and available space to narrow the list.
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