Top native plants
35 species, native to the US, ranked by caterpillars, then bees and other hosts, food, flowers and shelter.
-
Shumard Oak
Quercus shumardii
keystone
caterpillars
360
hosts
95
food
111
flowers
33
shelter
2
-
Pin Oak
Quercus palustris
keystone
caterpillars
359
hosts
90
food
161
flowers
32
shelter
2
-
River Birch
Betula nigra
keystone
caterpillars
287
hosts
15
food
47
flowers
31
shelter
1
-
Red Maple
Acer rubrum
caterpillars
179
hosts
20
food
72
flowers
71
shelter
2
-
Basswood
Tilia americana
caterpillars
129
hosts
15
food
44
flowers
65
shelter
3
-
Downy Hawthorn
Crataegus mollis
caterpillars
125
hosts
6
food
29
flowers
63
-
Washington Hawthorn
Crataegus phaenopyrum
caterpillars
123
hosts
6
food
29
flowers
14
-
Green Ash
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
caterpillars
112
hosts
29
food
39
flowers
8
shelter
4
-
Virginia Pine
Pinus virginiana
caterpillars
108
hosts
12
food
45
flowers
12
shelter
4
-
Blue Spruce
Picea pungens
caterpillars
95
hosts
4
food
27
flowers
3
-
American Hophornbeam
Ostrya virginiana
caterpillars
85
hosts
7
food
26
flowers
5
shelter
1
-
White Fir
Abies concolor
caterpillars
74
hosts
8
food
19
-
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
caterpillars
58
bees
3
hosts
8
food
68
flowers
101
shelter
1
-
Northern Whitecedar
Thuja occidentalis
caterpillars
39
hosts
1
food
22
flowers
15
-
Common Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis
caterpillars
37
hosts
31
food
34
flowers
62
shelter
2
-
Fraser Fir
Abies fraseri
caterpillars
37
hosts
2
food
10
-
American Sycamore
Platanus occidentalis
caterpillars
36
hosts
3
food
17
flowers
28
shelter
3
-
American Sweetgum
Liquidambar styraciflua
caterpillars
29
hosts
3
food
25
flowers
18
shelter
1
-
Rocky Mountain Juniper
Juniperus scopulorum
caterpillars
25
hosts
6
food
22
-
Black Tupelo
Nyssa sylvatica
caterpillars
23
hosts
3
food
41
flowers
15
shelter
2
-
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
keystone
caterpillars
16
food
18
flowers
17
-
Bitter Panicgrass
Panicum amarum
keystone
caterpillars
16
food
14
-
Orange Coneflower
Rudbeckia fulgida
caterpillars
15
bees
25
food
8
flowers
218
-
Baldcypress
Taxodium distichum
caterpillars
15
hosts
8
food
9
flowers
3
-
Sweetbay Magnolia
Magnolia virginiana
caterpillars
13
food
4
flowers
11
-
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
caterpillars
12
food
15
flowers
5
-
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
caterpillars
11
food
7
-
Bottlebrush Grass
Elymus hystrix
keystone
caterpillars
8
food
5
-
Reed Canary Grass
Phalaris arundinacea
caterpillars
7
food
16
flowers
34
-
Northern Catalpa
Catalpa speciosa
caterpillars
5
hosts
1
food
2
flowers
9
-
Tufted Hair Grass
Deschampsia cespitosa
caterpillars
5
food
17
-
Hairawn Muhly
Muhlenbergia capillaris
caterpillars
2
food
6
flowers
1
-
Slender Goldentop
Euthamia caroliniana
caterpillars
1
bees
8
hosts
4
food
2
flowers
93
-
Purple Lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis
caterpillars
1
food
5
-
Creeping Phlox
Phlox stolonifera
caterpillars
1
flowers
36