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In his inspirational book, Bringing Nature Home, noted scientist and insect expert, Douglas Tallamy, tells us that a garden full of imported ornamental plants may as well be planted with stone statues for all the good they do and the sustenance they give for wildlife.
At Guild Park, we’ve created a pollinator garden as an example of what can be achieved by growing native plants. All the plants in this beautiful and unique habitat co-evolved in this corner of the Carolinian Zone with all kinds of living things: wildlife and birds, plus a universe of insects, including bees, butterflies and moths - all important pollinator species.
Throughout the seasons, native plants provide important sources of high-quality food, including nectar, pollen, seeds and berries. Most of these plants also serve as larval host plants for butterflies and moths. The “eco-benefits” of native plants cannot be underestimated – every garden should have some.
There are many sources of information on gardening with native plants. A good place to visit is the Guildwood Butterflyway Project website. At this link, you’ll find a collection of articles, plus a reading list to get you started!
List of Native Plants at Guild Park’s Pollinator Garden
Planted by volunteers, fall 2022
|
Botanical Name |
Common Name |
Host Plant For These Butterflies & Moths |
|
Anaphalis magaritacea |
Pearly Everlasting |
American Lady & Painted Lady Butterflies |
|
Anemone canadensis |
Canada Anemone |
Veiled Ear Moth |
|
Aquilegia canadensis |
Wild Columbine |
Columbine Duskywing |
|
Asarum canadense |
Wild Ginger |
Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly |
|
Asclepias incarnata |
Swamp Milkweed |
Monarch Butterfly, Queen Butterfly* |
|
Asclepias tuberosa |
Butterfly Milkweed |
Monarch Butterfly, Queen Butterfly* |
|
Baptisia australis |
Wild Blue Indigo |
Wild Indigo Duskywing |
|
Chelone glabra |
Wild Turtlehead |
Baltimore Checkerspot |
|
Coreopsis lanceolata |
Lanceleaf Coreopsis |
Silvery Checkerspot Butterfly |
|
Diervilla lonicera |
Bush Honeysuckle |
Snowberry Clearwing Moth |
|
Echinacea pallida |
Pale Purple Coneflower |
Silvery Checkerspot Butterfly |
|
Eutrochium maculatum |
Spotted Joe Pye Weed |
Three-Lined Flower Moth & Ruby Tiger Moth |
|
Fragaria virginiana |
Wild Strawberry |
Gray Hairstreak Butterfly |
|
Lobelia cardinalis |
Cardinal Flower |
|
|
Monarda fistulosa |
Wild Bergamot |
Hermit Sphinx Moth, Snout Moth |
|
Penstemon digitalis |
Foxglove Beardtongue |
|
|
Rudbeckia hirta |
Black-Eyed Susan |
Gorgone Checkerspot |
|
Solidago caesia |
Blue Stemmed Goldenrod |
Leaf Beetles and Leaf Hoppers |
|
Solidago flexicaulis |
Zig Zag Goldenrod |
|
|
Spirea alba |
Meadowsweet |
Spring Azure Butterfly |
|
Sporobolus heterlepis |
Prairie Dropseed |
|
|
Symphyotrichum laeve |
Smooth Aster |
|
|
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae |
New England Aster |
Northern & Pearl Crescent Butterflies |
|
Zizea aurea |
Golden Alexander |
Black Swallowtail Butterfly |
* Note: the Queen Butterfly listed above isn't native to this area but has been seen as far north as Massachusetts and the American Mid-West.
With the changing climate, we've listed this butterfly species since its northernmost range may soon extend into the Great Lakes Region.