Native Plants Beneficial to Wildlife

Many plants growing within the Buck Garden provide food, shelter and nesting places for local wildlife. Plants and animals benefit each other in numerous ways. Plants provide food to animals and in return plant seeds are dispersed throughout the landscape. Many plant fruits are brightly colored and ripen exactly during the bird migration period. Ripening fruits produce sugars or fatty lipids providing necessary nourishment during the time of year the fuel is needed most.

In early summer, when parent birds are busy feeding their young, sweet fruits such as serviceberries and wild strawberries are available to them. Many fall migratory birds rely on the fatty fruits of sweet bay magnolia; flowering dogwood and spicebush. Some shrubs, like chokeberry and nannyberry have fruits that remain attached and persist through the winter providing a nutritional food source for resident wildlife and returning spring migratory birds.

The following is a partial list of plants that can be found growing at the L. J. Buck Garden that are beneficial to wildlife.

WOODY PLANTS BENEFICIAL TO WILDLIFE

BOTANICAL NAME	COMMON NAME	FOOD PROVIDED
Acer saccharum Amelanchier laevis Aronia melanocarpa Carpinus cariolinianum Cornus alternifolia Cornus amomum Cornus florida Ilex verticillata Lindera benzoin Liquidambar styraciflua Magnolia virginiana Malus species Nyssa sylvatica Parthenocissus quinquefolia Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ Rubus odoratus Sambucus canadensis Tsuga canadensis Vaccinium corymbosum Viburnum acerifolium Viburnum dentatum	sugar maple serviceberry or shadbush black chokeberry hornbeam alternate-leaved dogwood silky dogwood flowering dogwood winterberry holly spicebush sweet gum sweetbay magnolia crabapple black gum Virginia creeper fragrant sumac flowering raspberry American elderberry eastern hemlock highbush blueberry mapleleaf viburnum arrowwood viburnum	seeds and buds purplish black fruit black fruit seed-like nutlet blue-black fruit cobolt blue fruit bright red fruit bright red fruit bright red fruit seed red fruit orange to red fruit black fruit blue-black fruit dark red fruit red fruit black fruit seeds blue fruit black fruit dark blue fruitdark blue fruit

HERBACEOUS WILDFLOWERS BENEFICIAL TO WILDLIFE

BOTANICAL NAME	COMMON NAME	FOOD PROVIDED
Aquilegia canadensis Asclepias incarnata Aster species Agastache foeniculum Chelone sp. Echinacea purpurea Eupatorium sp. Heliathus angustifolius Heliopsis helianthoides Liatris spicata Lobelia cardinalis Mertensia virginica Mitchella repens Monarda fistulosa Monarda sp. Penstemon digitalis Phlox divaricata Phytolacca americana Podophyllum peltatum Rudbeckia fulgida Rudbeckia fulgida Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ Veronia noveboracensis	eastern columbine swamp milkweed native asters anise hyssop turtlehead purple coneflower Joe-Pye weed swamp sunflower ox-eye sunflower spike gayfeather Cardinal flower Virginia bluebells partridgeberry wild bergamot bee balm beardtongue wild blue phlox pokeberry mayapple black-eyed susan black-eyed susan goldenrod ironweed	nectar nectar; seed seed nectar nectar seed nectar nectar and seed seed seed nectar nectar red fruit nectar nectar nectar nectar black fruit fruit seed seed seed nectar

Activities

Programs

General Info

Active Facilities

General Parks

Golf Courses

Public Gardens

Natural Parks

How Do I Find...

Native Plants Beneficial to Wildlife

NATIVE PLANTS BENEFICIAL TO WILDLIFE

WOODY PLANTS BENEFICIAL TO WILDLIFE

HERBACEOUS WILDFLOWERS BENEFICIAL TO WILDLIFE