Top native plants
53 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
-
Scarlet Oak
Quercus coccinea
keystone
caterpillars
361
hosts
88
food
115
flowers
26
shelter
2
-
Chestnut Oak
Quercus montana
keystone
caterpillars
336
hosts
78
food
114
flowers
27
shelter
3
-
White Spruce
Picea glauca
caterpillars
172
hosts
6
food
34
flowers
9
-
Silver Maple
Acer saccharinum
caterpillars
167
hosts
16
food
74
flowers
35
shelter
3
-
Washington Hawthorn
Crataegus phaenopyrum
caterpillars
123
hosts
6
food
29
flowers
14
-
Black Raspberry
Rubus occidentalis
caterpillars
108
hosts
9
food
62
flowers
206
-
Sparkleberry
Vaccinium arboreum
caterpillars
91
bees
6
hosts
3
food
49
flowers
59
shelter
1
-
White Fir
Abies concolor
caterpillars
74
hosts
8
food
19
-
Sand Pine
Pinus clausa
caterpillars
69
hosts
3
food
32
flowers
5
shelter
2
-
Bigleaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum
caterpillars
59
hosts
7
food
27
flowers
16
shelter
1
-
Vine Maple
Acer circinatum
caterpillars
57
hosts
6
food
24
flowers
8
-
Texas Sedge
Carex texensis
keystone
caterpillars
27
food
46
flowers
3
-
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
caterpillars
23
bees
3
hosts
1
food
83
flowers
726
shelter
1
-
Black Tupelo
Nyssa sylvatica
caterpillars
23
hosts
3
food
41
flowers
15
shelter
2
-
Cherokee Sedge
Carex cherokeensis
keystone
caterpillars
20
food
44
flowers
6
-
Coralberry
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus
caterpillars
18
hosts
4
food
12
flowers
111
-
Clockweed
Oenothera lindheimeri
caterpillars
11
bees
5
hosts
1
food
8
flowers
41
-
Heart Leaf Hibiscus
Hibiscus martianus
caterpillars
11
bees
1
food
7
flowers
15
-
Buffalograss
Bouteloua dactyloides
caterpillars
11
food
18
flowers
2
-
Common Hoptree
Ptelea trifoliata
caterpillars
11
food
3
flowers
51
-
Purple Passionflower
Passiflora incarnata
caterpillars
10
bees
1
food
1
flowers
13
-
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
caterpillars
9
hosts
1
food
3
flowers
129
-
Purple Meadow-rue
Thalictrum dasycarpum
caterpillars
9
hosts
1
food
3
flowers
21
-
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
caterpillars
8
hosts
1
flowers
117
-
Firewheel
Gaillardia pulchella
caterpillars
7
bees
8
hosts
1
food
14
flowers
169
-
Lobed Coreopsis
Coreopsis auriculata
caterpillars
6
bees
11
food
2
flowers
90
-
Saw Greenbrier
Smilax bona-nox
caterpillars
6
food
31
flowers
5
-
Cabbage Palmetto
Sabal palmetto
caterpillars
6
food
14
flowers
29
-
Lanceleaf Greenbrier
Smilax smallii
caterpillars
6
food
5
flowers
2
-
Lance-leaved Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
caterpillars
5
bees
17
food
9
flowers
203
-
Star Tickseed
Coreopsis pubescens
caterpillars
5
bees
12
food
2
flowers
87
-
Greater Tickseed
Coreopsis major
caterpillars
5
bees
10
food
2
flowers
83
-
Hercules' Club
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis
caterpillars
5
flowers
3
-
Marginal Wood Fern
Dryopteris marginalis
caterpillars
4
-
Cross Vine
Bignonia capreolata
caterpillars
3
food
1
flowers
5
-
Lacy Phacelia
Phacelia tanacetifolia
caterpillars
2
bees
12
food
4
flowers
119
-
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
caterpillars
2
bees
5
food
6
flowers
350
-
Lyreleaf Sage
Salvia lyrata
caterpillars
2
food
8
flowers
102
-
Hairawn Muhly
Muhlenbergia capillaris
caterpillars
2
food
6
flowers
1
-
Golden Columbine
Aquilegia chrysantha
caterpillars
2
food
3
flowers
14
-
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
caterpillars
2
food
1
flowers
3
-
Straggler Daisy
Calyptocarpus vialis
caterpillars
2
flowers
11
-
Great Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
caterpillars
1
bees
7
hosts
1
food
4
flowers
168
-
Tropical Sage
Salvia coccinea
caterpillars
1
food
15
flowers
125
-
Lindheimer Muhly
Muhlenbergia lindheimeri
caterpillars
1
food
5
-
Pale Indian Plantain
Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
caterpillars
1
food
3
flowers
37
-
Thickleaf Phlox
Phlox carolina
caterpillars
1
flowers
33
-
Dwarf Palmetto
Sabal minor
caterpillars
1
flowers
5
-
Coralbells
Heuchera sanguinea
bees
1
food
2
flowers
7