Top native plants
30 species, native to the US, ranked by caterpillars, then bees and other hosts, food, flowers and shelter.
-
White Oak
Quercus alba
keystone
caterpillars
383
hosts
104
food
163
flowers
49
shelter
6
-
Black Oak
Quercus velutina
keystone
caterpillars
367
hosts
98
food
113
flowers
32
shelter
2
-
Overcup Oak
Quercus lyrata
keystone
caterpillars
336
hosts
88
food
108
flowers
28
shelter
2
-
Shingle Oak
Quercus imbricaria
keystone
caterpillars
329
hosts
87
food
108
flowers
36
shelter
2
-
American Plum
Prunus americana
keystone
caterpillars
304
hosts
14
food
64
flowers
167
shelter
1
-
Eastern Cottonwood
Populus deltoides
caterpillars
269
hosts
22
food
74
flowers
17
shelter
4
-
Chickasaw Plum
Prunus angustifolia
keystone
caterpillars
251
hosts
11
food
51
flowers
81
-
Myrtle Oak
Quercus myrtifolia
keystone
caterpillars
233
hosts
56
food
68
flowers
30
-
Sweet Crabapple
Malus coronaria
caterpillars
199
hosts
6
food
32
flowers
70
shelter
1
-
Southern Crabapple
Malus angustifolia
caterpillars
187
hosts
4
food
33
flowers
55
shelter
1
-
Canyon Live Oak
Quercus chrysolepis
keystone
caterpillars
149
hosts
69
food
50
flowers
11
shelter
2
-
Douglas-fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii
caterpillars
134
hosts
15
food
26
flowers
19
shelter
7
-
Lodgepole Pine
Pinus contorta
caterpillars
112
hosts
13
food
30
flowers
4
shelter
6
-
Parsley Hawthorn
Crataegus marshallii
caterpillars
110
hosts
6
food
26
flowers
14
-
Mockernut
Carya tomentosa
caterpillars
104
hosts
72
food
32
flowers
7
shelter
2
-
Sand Hickory
Carya pallida
caterpillars
99
hosts
52
food
28
flowers
6
-
Western Hemlock
Tsuga heterophylla
caterpillars
94
food
6
flowers
2
shelter
2
-
American Chestnut
Castanea dentata
caterpillars
91
bees
1
hosts
17
food
12
flowers
25
shelter
5
-
Valley Oak
Quercus lobata
keystone
caterpillars
83
hosts
51
food
41
flowers
25
shelter
6
-
Butternut
Juglans cinerea
caterpillars
73
hosts
13
food
19
flowers
5
-
American Hornbeam
Carpinus caroliniana
caterpillars
55
hosts
6
food
15
flowers
6
-
Common Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis
caterpillars
37
hosts
31
food
34
flowers
62
shelter
2
-
American Black Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
caterpillars
29
hosts
1
food
52
flowers
95
-
Baldcypress
Taxodium distichum
caterpillars
15
hosts
8
food
9
flowers
3
-
Winterberry Holly
Ilex verticillata
caterpillars
14
bees
2
hosts
3
food
27
flowers
84
-
Red Buckeye
Aesculus pavia
caterpillars
14
hosts
2
food
4
flowers
18
-
Tanoak
Notholithocarpus densiflorus
caterpillars
7
hosts
2
food
3
shelter
1
-
Southern Catalpa
Catalpa bignonioides
caterpillars
6
hosts
1
food
3
flowers
3
shelter
1
-
Saw Palmetto
Serenoa repens
caterpillars
6
food
5
flowers
73
-
Kentucky Yellowwood
Cladrastis kentukea
flowers
5