There is so much to learn about native plants—especially the reasons why we should grow them. The following organizations are listed to both inform and inspire. Feel free to browse the General Information offerings or go directly to the state you’re gardening in. Resources are listed for: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
Your regional Native Plant Society is the perfect resource for information, field trips, plant sales and other events:
Delaware Native Plant Society
Maryland Native Plant Society
The Native Plant Society of New Jersey
The Finger Lakes Native Plant Society of Ithaca, New York
Native Plant Society of Staten Island, New York
New York Flora Association
Pennsylvania Native Plant Society
Delaware Valley Fern & Wildflower Society, Pennsylvania
Virginia Native Plant Society
West Virginia Native Plant Society
GENERAL INFORMATION
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Over its 40-year history, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay has focused on building partnerships, connecting people to the Bay, its rivers, and local watersheds, and healing the land and water through hands-on conservation. Through these efforts, healthy streams and rivers, quality communities, and a healthy economy can be a reality.
Conservation Landscaping
Native Meadow
Lawn and Garden Care
Audubon
Audubon’s Mission: To conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.
For more than a century, Audubon has built a legacy of conservation success by mobilizing the strength of its network of members, Chapters, Audubon Centers, state offices and dedicated professional staff to connect people with nature and the power to protect it.
A powerful combination of science, education and policy expertise combine in efforts ranging from protection and restoration of local habitats to the implementation of policies that safeguard birds, other wildlife and the resources that sustain us all–in the U.S. and Across the Americas.
Plants For Birds
Grow These Native Plants So Your Birds Can Feast
The Biota of North America Program: North American Vascular Flora
BONAP’s Taxonomic Data Center (TDC): By incorporating nearly a half-century of BONAP’s botanical research efforts into an online interactive program, and by linking a vast collection of biological attributes with phytogeographic and current taxonomic information, a new paradigm for botanical research has become possible. This system allows, and indeed welcomes, both professional botanists and the general public to interact and build a better understanding of the plants of North American. The TDC is divided into the following two sections.
Query Page – The TDC Query Page is an online application that provides access to BONAP’s floristic data. It features a fully synonymized listing of the plants of North American, incorporating the most current nomenclature and taxonomy in conjunction with scores of unique search and sort capabilities, thus enabling users to query on attributes of taxonomy, morphology and phytogeography to retrieve data through a random access process.
Database Page – The TDC Database Page is a tool that incorporates the geospatial technology of Google Maps to enable the user to develop a personalized floristic database for any definable area within North America.
BONAP’s North American Plant Atlas (NAPA): NAPA represents the first comprehensive attempt to provide state- and county-level distribution maps of all vascular plant taxa found within the study area. It also provides multiple unique maps depicting unique soil and substrate types, climates and temperature zones, along with vegetation maps for the continent.
Center for Biological Diversity, Native Plant Conservation Campaign
The Native Plant Conservation Campaign (NPCC) is a national network of affiliate native plant societies, botanical gardens, and other plant conservation organizations. We collaborate to exchange information, and create a strong national voice to advocate for native plant species and community conservation through
- Equal funding and protection for plants and other species in conservation law and practice
- improved staffing and funding for plant conservation and research,
- stronger Federal laws for conservation of native plants and ecosystems
- prevention and control of infestation by invasive exotic plants
- use of local native plants in restoration and gardening
NPCC also performs independent research, and publishes reports, literature reviews, brochures, and digests discussing scientific and legal issues in plant conservation.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Founded in 1967, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is the largest independent conservation organization dedicated solely to saving the Bay. Serving as a watchdog, we fight for effective, science-based solutions to the pollution degrading the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams. Our motto, “Save the Bay,” is a regional rallying cry for pollution reduction throughout the Chesapeake’s six-state, 64,000-square-mile watershed, which is home to more than 17 million people and 3,000 species of plants and animals.
More Things You Can Do to Save the Bay
In Your Yard
Living Shorelines for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (Downloadable pdf)
Ten Steps to a Bay-Friendly Lawn (Downloadable pdf)
Chesapeake Bay Native Plant Center
In 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released the publication, Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Citizens, schools, non profit organizations, communities and government agencies used this resource to find the native plants that met their local conditions and interests in order to create landscapes to attract wildlife and reduce the amount of pollutants going into the Chesapeake Bay. Demand for this resource has never waned. To reach more citizens and organizations, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service envisioned an online version of the guide, the Native Plants Center Chesapeake Region. This expanded online guide includes a geo-locator feature to identify plants suited to your location, a searchable database of the native plants that meet your conditions, and (coming soon) an online network to interact with other Chesapeake Bay stewards.
Chesapeake Bay Program
The Chesapeake Bay Program is a regional partnership that leads and directs Chesapeake Bay restoration and protection. Bay Program partners include federal and state agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations and academic institutions. Staff members work at the Bay Program’s Annapolis, Maryland, office and at partner organizations throughout the Bay watershed.
Better Backyard: A Citizen’s Resource Guide to Beneficial Landscaping and Habitat Restoration in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (Downloadable pdf)
Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council
The Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council is a coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to researching, promoting and educating professionals and the public about conservation landscaping to protect the Chesapeake Bay. The Council formed in 2003 to promote the principles of conservation landscaping and expand the practice of conservation landscaping throughout the Chesapeake Bay region. In 2009, the Council became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and in 2010, elected its first Board of Directors. The Board of Directors meets quarterly and meetings, including the October annual meeting, are open to the public.
The Eight Essential Elements of Conservation Landscaping: view the pdf here.
ChooseNatives.org helps the curious gardener to select plants that support all wildlife:
Honey Bees? It’s Our Native Bees That Need the Buzz
Plant Native Ground Covers & Make America Green Again (12 Notable Ground Covers)
Native Plants for Nesting Birds
Nectar Sources for Large-Winged Butterflies of the Mid-Atlantic
How to Feed a Hummingbird Part I: Insects & Protein
How to Feed a Hummingbird Part II: Flowers & Nectar
EcoBeneficial!
EcoBeneficial! is a horticulture communications and consulting company founded by Kim Eierman. The company is dedicated to improving our environment by promoting ecological landscaping and the use of native plants.
Many of our traditional gardening and landscaping practices have contributed to unhealthy ecosystems. The American love affair with exotic turf lawns is just one example of how we have compromised our environment, the environment that we humans depend upon. At EcoBeneficial!, we think that it is time to think and act differently in our landscapes!
Through blogging, videos, podcasts, public presentations, freelance writing, and consulting, EcoBeneficial! empowers homeowners, seasoned gardeners and green industry pros to make dramatic, positive impacts on the environment. Simple changes can make huge differences. It all starts with an ecosystem approach.
Jarrod Fowler’s Host Plants for Pollen Specialist Bees of the Eastern United States
If you have or host others with dietary restrictions, then you know the practical challenges and the health benefits of limited diets. If you empathize with dietary restrictions, then you can empathize with bees. All bees have dietary restrictions: bees are vegetarians that eat pollen, nectar, and floral oil. Some bees have severe dietary restrictions: they only eat pollen from particular plants. Diets of pollen specialist bees range from one plant family to a single plant species.
Native pollen specialist bees eat only native, seasonal fare. Alas, most of these native bees are rare and endangered with extinction. Imagine hosting a meal for pollen specialist bees. How can you graciously accommodate native bees with severe dietary restrictions? Help native pollen specialist bees by creating habitats composed of plentiful native host plants. You can be a host of a host of native host plants that offer pollen for specialist bees.
Heather Holm
Heather Holm is a biologist, pollinator conservationist, and award-winning author. In addition to assisting with native bee research projects, she informs and educates audiences nationwide, through her writing and many presentations, about the fascinating world of native pollinators and beneficial insects, and the native plant communities that support them.
Heather offers a variety of educational native plant posters for download.
The Humane Gardener: Nancy Lawson
Have you heard that most of our 4,000 native bee species nest not in hives but in the ground or dead wood? Did you know that caterpillars, not birdseed, are an essential part of most baby bird diets? Are you familiar with the gardening prowess of opossums and skunks, who devour insects often considered “pests”? Traditional cultivation practices all too often ignore the needs and valuable contributions of our fellow species, exploiting myths and fears about the animals and plants living among us. Learn why rejecting this dominant paradigm is so important to a healthy environment—and how partnering with nature through native plantings, gentle cultivation, and humane conflict resolution can bring new life and beauty to your own backyard.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
The mission of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes.
LBJWC Native Plant Database
Search for nearly 8,000 native plants by scientific or common name or choose a particular family of plants.
Landscape for Life
Landscape For Life is based on the principles of the Sustainable Sites Initiative ™ (SITES™), the nation’s first rating system for sustainable landscapes. SITES™ is an interdisciplinary effort led by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden in conjunction with a diverse group of stakeholder organizations.
National Wildlife Federation: Garden for Wildlife
National Wildlife Federation is a voice for wildlife, dedicated to protecting wildlife and habitat and inspiring the future generation of conservationists.
We believe that helping wildlife survive the challenges of the 21st century like climate change and habitat loss is best done by:
- Working with diverse groups to achieve our common conservation goals.
- Forming resilient and sustainable solutions to problems facing our environment and wildlife.
- Focusing on the future of conservation as well as the present, to ensure America’s wildlife legacy lives on.
NWF: Certify your wildlife garden
NWF: Native Plant Finder
Native Grasslands Conservancy
For 10 years, we have been working with the community in educating about restoration methods that help to establish healthy, genetically diverse populations of native plants. We are developing a program that will allow the permanent preservation of this enriched habitat. The Native Grassland Conservancy’s mission is the preservation of native habitat and the conservation of biodiversity through the restoration of vibrant native plant communities that support native bees and butterflies and a healthy ecosystem.
Native Plant Network
Our goal is to provide technical and practical information on the growing and planting of North American (Canada, US, and Mexico) native plants for restoration, conservation, reforestation, landscaping, roadsides, and so on.
Native Plants for the Small Yard by Kate Brandes (Downloadable pdf)
Social scientists have looked at how people feel about their yards. Research shows that people’s preferences are determined mostly by the desire to fit in with their neighbors. Native plants have developed something of a bad rap among many homeowners as messy and hard to manage plants that do not fit in with the neighborhood. But there are many beautiful native plants that not only fit well into a residential yard, but also provide multiple benefits. This book features ideas and recommendations for these native plants that will work well in a flower garden or home landscaping project, especially for the resident with the small yard.
The Natural Web: Exploring Nature’s Connections
The Natural Web is dedicated to exploring, understanding and enjoying the plants and critters who surround us, and the intricate connections among them, and with us. Mary Ann Borge is a freelance naturalist, writer, photographer and educator, living in New Jersey.
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.
North American Native Plant Society, Canada
NANPS is a volunteer-operated registered charitable organization concerned with preserving native plant habitat in wild areas and restoring indigenous flora to developed areas.
Our key purpose is to provide information and inspire an appreciation of native plants with an aim to restoring healthy ecosystems across the continent.
It is our belief that nature belongs in urban, suburban, and rural areas as much as in remote areas.
North American Pollinator Protection Campaign Pollinator Partnership
The Pollinator Partnership’s mission is to promote the health of pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research. Signature initiatives include the, NAPPC (North American Pollinator Protection Campaign), National Pollinator Week, and the Ecoregional Planting Guides.
Selecting Plants for Pollinators: Adirondack New England Mixed Forest (Downloadable pdf)
Selecting Plants for Pollinators: Southeastern Mixed Forest Province (Downloadable pdf)
Selecting Plants for Pollinators: Central Appalachian Broadleaf Forest (Downloadable pdf)
Selecting Plants for Pollinators: Eastern Broadleaf Forest, Continental Province (Downloadable pdf)
Selecting Plants for Pollinators: Eastern Broadleaf Forest, Oceanic Province (Downloadable pdf)
Selecting Plants for Pollinators: Laurentian Mixed Forest Province (Downloadable pdf)
Selecting Plants for Pollinators: Outer Coastal Plain Mixed Province (Downloadable pdf)
Our Habitat Garden
Our yard, located in Central New York, is more than just a place to sit and relax, more than just a garden.
It’s a habitat where birds, butterflies, bees, toads, and other little creatures can find food, water, cover, and a place to raise their young; a place where there are no pesticides or herbicides used that would be unhealthy for these creatures or for people.
It’s the kind of place you, too, can have in your own yard, whether you have an apartment balcony, a city lot, or acreage in the country.
It’s a place that’s full of life—a very exciting place to be.
Dr. Doug Tallamy: Bringing Nature Home: How you can sustain wildlife with native plants.
If you want to create ecosystems with a diversity of animal species, we first have to encourage a healthy diversity of plants. It’s simple: By gardening with native plants — no matter where you live or how small or large your space is — you can help sustain wildlife. This is the groundbreaking book written by entomologist Prof. Douglas Tallamy.
20 Most Valuable Native Woody & Perennials in the Mid-Atlantic (Downloadable pdf)
Published in 2020: Nature’s Best Hope: A new approach to conservation that starts in your yard.
Douglas W. Tallamy’s first book, Bringing Nature Home, awakened thousands of readers to an urgent situation: wildlife populations are in decline because the native plants they depend on are fast disappearing. His solution? Plant more natives. In this new book, Tallamy takes the next step and outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation. Nature’s Best Hope shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats. Because this approach relies on the initiatives of private individuals, it is immune from the whims of government policy. Even more important, it’s practical, effective, and easy—you will walk away with specific suggestions you can incorporate into your own yard.
Doug Tallamy’s Homegrown National Park: A GRASSROOTS CALL-TO-ACTION TO RESTORE BIODIVERSITY – NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY – GET DIGGING AND GET ON THE MAP!
Turf to Trees
Turf to Trees is a how-to guide to help any suburban homeowner replace lawn with native trees and the plants that grow beneath them. Based in Georgia, Turf to Trees’ informational text and resources can be applied to most of the country.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service
Originally established by Congress in 1935 as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), NRCS has expanded to become a conservation leader for all natural resources, ensuring private lands are conserved, restored, and more resilient to environmental challenges, like climate change.
Seventy percent of the land in the United States is privately owned, making stewardship by private landowners absolutely critical to the health of our Nation’s environment.
NRCS works with landowners through conservation planning and assistance designed to benefit the soil, water, air, plants, and animals that result in productive lands and healthy ecosystems.
Natural Resources Conservation Service: Backyard Conservation
Plants Database The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.
Backyard Conservation (Downloadable pdf)
US Fish and Wildlife Service
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. Our mission is to work with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
Pollinators
Attracting Pollinators to Your Garden (Downloadable pdf)
Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed (Downloadable pdf — note: 85 pages)
US Forest Service: Celebrating Wildflowers
Celebrating Wildflowers is dedicated to the enjoyment of the thousands of wildflowers growing on our national forests and grasslands, and to educating the public about the many values of native plants.
Celebrating Wildflowers emphasizes:
- The aesthetic value of plants – a field of wildflowers is a beautiful sight
- The recreational value of plants – picking berries is fun for the whole family
- The biological value of plants – native plants support other life
- The medicinal value of plants – chemicals from plants help combat sickness
- The economic value of plants – plant material such as floral greens are commercially valuable
- The conservation of native plants – protecting and maintaining native plant habitat
US Forest Service
Field Guide to Native Oak Species of Eastern North America (Downloadable pdf)
Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes
Wild Ones Vision for Our Future: Wild Ones strives to become a widely recognized voice for native plants and the sustainable landscaping movement, promoting increased use of native plantings that create living landscapes through grassroots efforts by example, education, marketing, and personalized support.
- We will raise public awareness regarding the benefits that native plants, including trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses, offer in a variety of settings so landscaping with native plants becomes the norm rather than the exception.
- We will persuade the general public that including native plants in home and public landscapes is aesthetically pleasing and healthier for our environment, and that reducing unnecessary turf grass reduces storm water runoff and unnecessary use of water, fuel, and lawn chemicals.
- We will see the use of native plants extend into an increasing number of areas where plants touch the soil – such as pollinator support and public places.
- We will join forces with others to preserve native plants and biodiversity from loss due to development and other forces, including displacement by non-native invasive plants
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. For forty years, the Society has been at the forefront of invertebrate protection worldwide, harnessing the knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to implement conservation programs.
Pollinator Plants: Mid-Atlantic Region (Downloadable pdf)
Milkweeds: A Conservation Practitioner’s Guide (Downloadable pdf)
Monarch Nectar Plants: Mid-Atlantic (Downloadable pdf)
Nesting & Overwintering Habitat for Pollinators & Other Beneficial Insects (Downloadable pdf)
Save the Stems (Downloadable pdfs)
DELAWARE
Delaware Department of Agriculture
Delaware Native Plants for Native Bees (Downloadable pdf)
Meadows & Buffers for Bees: Creating Mid-Atlantic Pollinator Habitats (Downloadable pdf)
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
It’s the mission of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to protect and manage the state’s vital natural resources, protect public health and safety, provide quality outdoor recreation and to serve and educate the citizens of the First State about the wise use, conservation and enhancement of Delaware’s Environment.
Rare Plants of Delaware 2018
Delaware Wetland Plant Field Guide
Delaware Native Plant Society
Welcome to the Delaware Native Plant Society (DSPN). We are a volunteer-based, publicly supported, non-profit organization dedicated to the use, propagation, promotion, and conservation of native plants and their natural habitats through education, science, advocacy, and land stewardship. The Society was created on 18 March 1998 and we have made some great progress over the years in the realization of our vision statement. But we need the concerned public to maintain this trend as your membership strengthens the Society’s role as the voice for our native plants. We encourage you to browse around this site, join the Society, attend some meetings, and then get involved in one of only a handful of organizations in the Mid-Atlantic region that are dedicated to improving the natural habitats of Delaware, and your own backyard, through the use of native plants.
Delaware Nature Society
Founded in 1964, the Delaware Nature Society is the pre-eminent non-profit environmental organization in the state. This position has been well earned through its long-term and consistently active preservation, conservation and advocacy programs. Delaware Nature Society is unique in the way it integrates education as a vital element in its role in preservation, conservation and advocacy.
Protecting Habitats & Wildlife
Gardening for Water and Wildlife
Delaware Wildflowers
Photographs of 897 Delaware species and counting. For purposes of this site wildflowers are flowering plants, other than trees, growing outside of cultivation. All but a few pictures were taken in Delaware; the others are of plants that have been found in Delaware.
Flora of Delaware Online Database
The Flora of Delaware Online Database is a web-based reference containing basic information on the status, habitat, and distribution of plants in Delaware. The database contains a wealth of information about each species listed and is available to planners, wildlife and land managers, stewardship ecologists, restoration ecologists, research biologists, landscapers, naturalists, educators, and home gardeners to name a few. The database will serve as a valuable resource – bringing together information that will provide answers to the questions most commonly posed about plant life in our state. For example, the database will help the restoration ecologist develop a list of plants appropriate for a wetland restoration site located in the Coastal Plain province of the state. Or, it can provide a northern Delaware homeowner or landscaper with a list of native perennial wildflowers that grow in the Piedmont province of the state. The database also denotes species that are non-native and invasive in the state – important information for determining which species to avoid in plantings or restoration projects.
University of Delaware Cooperative Extension
University of Delaware Cooperative Extension connects the public with university knowledge, research and resources to address youth, family, community and agricultural needs.
Livable Plants for the Home Landscape (Downloadable pdf)
Native Plants for Delaware Landscapes (Downloadable pdf)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Audubon Naturalist Society, Washington DC Area
ANS Mission: The Audubon Naturalist Society inspires residents of the greater Washington, DC, region to appreciate, understand, and protect their natural environment through outdoor experiences, education, and advocacy.
ANS Vision: The Audubon Naturalist Society seeks to create a larger and more diverse community of people who treasure the natural world and work to preserve it.
Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, Grasses of Washington, D.C. (Downloadable pdf) by Kamal M. Ibrahim, Paul M. Peterson (Author)
A vegetative key, descriptions, and illustrations for the identification of 182 native and naturalized grasses that occur in Washington, D.C., are presented. In addition, we provide a glossary of terms and indexes to scientific and common names. The key is based on vegetative characters to allow identification of specimens that primarily do not have flowering structures (inflorescences and spikelets).
MARYLAND
Maryland Cooperative Extension
Landscaping for Resilience in a Changing Climate
Native Plants of Maryland: What, When and Where (Downloadable pdf)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Wild Acres
Maryland’s Wild Acres is a voluntary program which encourages Maryland citizens to create backyard wildlife habitat. The Wild Acres program offers fact sheets on how landowners can enhance their habitat for wildlife by creating food, water and shelter resources. In addition to providing fact sheets, a quarterly publication, HabiChat, is produced which highlights native plants, animals and habitat-enhancing activities.
Maryland Native Plant Society
The Maryland Native Plant Society’s mission is to promote awareness, appreciation, and conservation of Maryland’s native plants and their habitats. We pursue our mission through education, research, advocacy, and service activities. Membership is open to all who are interested in Maryland’s native plants and their habitats.
How to Shop for Native Plants (Downloadable pdf)
Landscaping with Native Plants (Downloadable pdf)
Maryland Plant Atlas
The Maryland Plant Atlas endeavors to provide authoritative distribution maps for all the native and naturalized plants of Maryland based on the best available data; to provide accurate and up-to-date information on the flora to the public; and to promote conservation and research by increasing awareness and appreciation for wild plants.
NEW JERSEY
Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey
Our mission is to preserve rare and imperiled species of wildlife that live and breed in, and migrate through New Jersey.
Backyard Wildlife Habitats in New Jersey
Landscaping for Wildlife: Creating Wildlife Habitat (Downloadable pdf)
Landscaping for Wildlife: The Brush Pile (Downloadable pdf)
Landscaping for Wildlife: Hedgerows (Downloadable pdf)
Landscaping for Wildlife: Trees and Forest (Downloadable pdf)
D&R Greenway Land Trust, New Jersey
D&R Greenway Land Trust’s mission is to:
- Preserve and protect a permanent network of natural lands and open spaces, creating the conditions for a healthy and diverse environment to flourish
- Provide the public with appropriate access to these areas, encouraging active lifestyles and a greater appreciation of the natural world
- Inspire a conservation ethic promoting policies, educational programs and partnerships that result in a public commitment to land preservation
Duke Farms Living Habitats
Duke Farms serves as a model of environmental stewardship and inspires visitors to become informed stewards of the land. It is a place of education, enjoyment and research that enhances the environmental health of the region.
Through the beauty of its natural setting, the diversity of its wildlife, and the scope and quality of its educational programs, demonstrations and research, Duke Farms inspires people to transform their approach to conservation and to start building a more sustainable future.
Flora of New Jersey Project
The Flora of New Jersey Project is a non-profit incorporated group of botanists and ecologists whose aim is to generate an up-to-date description for each of our species accompanied by distribution maps for each taxon present or formerly present in our state.
Jersey-Friendly Yards: Landscaping for a Healthy Environment
JerseyYards.org is a unique online resource development by the Barnegat Bay Partnership and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection to help New Jersey residents learn about low-impact landscaping. The site features in-depth information about threats to rivers and bays and practical advice to implement environmentally sound landscaping concepts. Two main components include a searchable database of New Jersey native and “Jersey-Friendly” plants as well as a fun Interactive Yard.
Going Native: A Guide to Landscaping with Native Plants in the Barnegat Bay Watershed (Downloadable pdf)
The Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA)
The Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the quality of the Musconetcong River and its Watershed, including its natural and cultural resources.
Musconetcong Watershed Association members are part of a network of individuals, families and organizations that care about the Musconetcong River and its watershed, and are dedicated to improving the watershed resources through public education and awareness programs, river water quality monitoring, promotion of sustainable land management practices and community involvement.
We believe that a community that is fully aware of the importance and vulnerability of its natural resources is a community that will actively support efforts to ensure environmental quality. We carry out our mission through grassroots activities including educational programs in local schools, municipal government outreach, workshops and seminars for the public, stream cleanups and outdoor educational programs. A Board of Trustees and committees that focus on specific activities oversee the operations and programs of the MWA. Four professional staff members conduct the daily operations of the Association.
The Native Plant Society of New Jersey
Find out everything there is to know about the native flora of New Jersey, learn from the experts on native plants, get the latest on interesting activities near you, or join one of the many opportunities to participate in the growing national native plant movement — right here in the Garden State.
The Native Plant Society of New Jersey is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to the appreciation, protection, and study of the native flora of New Jersey. Founded in 1985, we have hundreds of members across the state, and are organized into county and regional chapters. Our members include gardeners, horticulturists, naturalists, landscape designers, students, and native plant enthusiasts from all walks of life.
Natural Lands Trust
Natural Lands Trust is a non-profit land conservation organization dedicated to protecting the forests, fields, streams, and wetlands that are essential to the sustainability of life in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. We apply a comprehensive approach to conservation that includes permanently protecting natural areas, providing leadership in natural resource management, and creating opportunities for people to connect to and learn from nature.
North Jersey Resource Conservation & Development
The Resource Conservation and Development Program (RC&D) was initiated in 1962 to help people care for and protect their natural resources to improve an area’s economy, environment, and living standards. The program provides a way for local residents to work together and plan how they can actively solve environmental, economic and social problems facing their communities.
Native Trees for Riparian Buffers in Northern New Jersey Watersheds (Downloadable pdf)
Native Shrubs for Riparian Buffers in Northern New Jersey Watersheds (Downloadable pdf)
Native Ground Covers, Vines, and Herbaceous Perennials for Riparian Buffers in Northern New Jersey Watersheds (Downloadable pdf)
Pinelands Preservation Alliance, Pinelands Plants Overview, New Jersey
Pinelands Overview:
The Pine Barrens of New Jersey is a unique, beautiful and fascinating natural treasure. The Pinelands Preservation Alliance advocates for Pinelands preservation before government agencies like the New Jersey Pinelands Commission and seeks to educate the public about the Pinelands and the threats facing its natural resources.
Advocacy work is focused on four basic themes:
- Monitoring public agencies, especially the Pinelands Commission,
- Protecting the water quality of the Pine Barrens ecosystem,
- Protecting the water supply embedded in the aquifers underlying the Pinelands and sustaining both the human and the natural communities of this region, and
- Improving habitat protection for the distinctive, rare, threatened and endangered plant and animal species of the Pinelands.
NEW YORK
Finger Lakes Native Plant Society
We are an organization located in central New York, founded in 1997, dedicated to promoting the appreciation of our native flora. We hold free public field trips throughout the year and free indoor programs during the colder months. Members receive our newsletter, Solidago, and participate in a seed exchange, a spring native plant sale, and a December celebration of native plants.
Habitat Gardening in Central New York, a chapter of Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes
Habitat Gardening in Central New York (HGCNY) started in March 2002 as “a garden club with a difference.”
In 2004, we became a chapter of Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes. It was a perfect fit for our efforts to preserve biodiversity by providing habitat for wildlife, especially by planting native plants. It also provided an opportunity for us to support this important national effort to promote native plants. We liked its model of having local chapters, meeting monthly, to inform and inspire people to make a difference in their own yards, even while each person’s efforts were collectively improving the habitat of the whole continent.
Long Island Native Plant Initiative
LINPI conserves biodiversity by preserving the genetic heritage of Long Island’s native plant populations. This is accomplished by establishing commercial sources of local ecotypic (i.e. genetically native) seed and plants for native plant production, contributing to a regional seed bank, fostering a demand for native plants and serving as a propagation resource for the nursery industry. There is a focus on capturing as much genetic variation as possible when collecting and propagating plant material while minimizing the ecological impacts of harvest.
Native Plant Society of Staten Island
Our Mission: Provide information — and engage in public education and advocacy — about the ecological importance of native flora; Increase public awareness of the varieties (genus and species) of native plants via this website, workshops, participation in public events, and collaboration with local naturalists, environmentalists and garden clubs; Promote the protection, maintenance and propagation of native plants in private and public open spaces on Staten Island, irrespective of the size of the sites.
New York Flora Association
The New York Flora Association was founded in 1990 with the goal of promoting field botany and a greater understanding of the plants that grow wild in New York State. The goals of the organization are:
- to promote the study of New York State’s Flora;
- to encourage the production of botanical publications that are educational to the public and beneficial to the scientific community;
- to provide an umbrella organization for field and herbarium botanists that can represent their points of view;
- to serve as an information exchange for botanically related organizations and botanists active in New York State;
- to foster the pursuit of common interests;
- to support the continued development of the New York Flora Atlas; and
- to promote conservation of native plants and natural communities.
New York Flora Atlas
The New York Flora Atlas is a source of information for the distribution of plants within the state, as well as information on plant habitats, associated ecological communities, and taxonomy. In addition, users can learn about the location of vouchered specimens and see images to get a better visual for each plant. The next step is to create a Manual to the New York State Flora. Early efforts are underway to move towards this goal.
PENNSYLVANIA
Botanical Society of Western Pennsylvania
The Botanical Society of Western Pennsylvania (BSWP) is one of the oldest botanical organizations in the country. Since 1886, our members have met, botanized, and served as a resource of knowledge on the flowers of Pennsylvania.
Our group is a mixture of both professional and amateur botanists. BSWP meets monthly, September through June, and features excellent speakers. Field trips are frequent.
Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve
Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that showcases an extraordinary diversity of plants native to Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley region. We care for and protect our native plant collection with the goal of encouraging the public to visit, enjoy, and learn about the richness of Pennsylvania’s natural heritage.
Delaware Valley Fern & Wildflower Society, Pennsylvania
The purpose of the DVFWS shall be to encourage the enjoyment of ferns and wildflowers by cultivating and propagating them in the home garden; by studying them in their wild habitats, gardens, and conservatories; by promoting their conservation and preservation, and by providing a forum for the exchange of information and expertise.
iConserve Pennsylvania, Plant Smart
Not everyone has a green thumb or the ability to know how to plant that will save them time, energy, resources, plus do good things for the environment. What we plant, how we plant and where we plant can affect our wildlife, energy usage, carbon footprint and more.
In order to make wise planting decisions, it’s important to have the right tools, and we don’t just mean shovels and rakes! Become familiar with the benefits of native plants and trees and how they can help you and the environment. Natives not only look great, they require less care and provide more benefits to wildlife. They also can help keep invasive species at bay. Use our native plant database to identify some of the best natives to use to fit your needs. Our garden templates will inspire you to create an inviting and Earth-friendly landscape.
Manada Conservancy
During the past 20 years Manada Conservancy has grown from a seed of hope in the minds of a few individuals to a community of more than 400 members. Because of your generous support and many volunteer hours of labor, we have been able to work with landowners to protect 2,000 acres of land in Dauphin County, present more than 80 environmental education programs, develop a native plant initiative, offer outdoor opportunities, and engage with businesses and other organizations that share our mission.
Vision: Manada Conservancy envisions a community in which preserved land is abundant and conservation is widely practiced for the benefit of all.
Mission: Manada Conservancy is a land trust dedicated to preserving the natural, historic, agricultural and scenic resources of Dauphin County through land conservation, environmental education, and community engagement.
Natural Lands Trust
Natural Lands Trust is a non-profit land conservation organization dedicated to protecting the forests, fields, streams, and wetlands that are essential to the sustainability of life in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. We apply a comprehensive approach to conservation that includes permanently protecting natural areas, providing leadership in natural resource management, and creating opportunities for people to connect to and learn from nature.
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
Landscaping with Native Plants
Landscaping with Native Plants (Downloadable pdf)
Wild Plants
Lawn Conversion
Neighborly Natural Landscaping in Residential Areas
Common Trees of Pennsylvania (Downloadable pdf)
The Pennsylvania Flora Project of Morris Arboretum – Flora Database
Since its inception as a public garden, the Morris Arboretum has served as a center for botanical research. Our botanical research efforts focus on the occurrence of the native and naturalized plants that inhabit Pennsylvania. We recognize the importance of understanding the dynamic nature of the flora and seek to gain insights into these changes through work in the field, laboratory, and at the computer. We maintain the Pennsylvania Flora Database, a database of more than 400,000 plant records, to help store and disseminate the data we obtain in our research.
Pennsylvania Native Plant Society
The Pennsylvania Native Plants Society advocates conservation of native plants and their habitats and promotes the increased use of native plants in the landscape.
The Pennsylvania Native Plant Society had a beginning in 1979, when, through initiatives of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, and the Pennsylvania Legislature, a movement was begun to recognize the rare and endangered plants of Pennsylvania and to set up organized efforts to produce a list of such plants and implement legislation for their study and protection.
Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, Agriculture Research & Cooperative Extension
Conserving Wild Bees in Pennsylvania
Conserving Wild Bees in Pennsylvania (Downloadable pdf)
Turtle Creek Watershed Association
The Turtle Creek Watershed Association promotes the use of rainfall and stormwater as the valuable natural resource it is. We encourage measures to manage stormwater in ways that preserve or mimic natural infiltration or storage methods, thus allowing the rain to slowly reach our streams or ground water table. This prevents damage from erosion, sedimentation, sewer overflows, and flooding. Gardens can be a good way to help manage stormwater. Their soils contain lots of organic matter that absorbs rainfall before it can run off. Plants take in water through their roots and transpire gallons of it each day through their leaves. These roots along with soil organisms such as earthworms and burrowing insects create tunnels that also allow water to infiltrate. Native plants are well-adapted to local conditions. Relying upon them as the backbone of your garden is a good way to insure beautiful success while reducing maintenance chores. As noted in their descriptions, they often have value to wildlife (that prey upon harmful insects), and many were once used as medicines or dyes – beautiful as well as practical. Limiting use of harsh chemical fertilizers and pesticides will protect beneficial organisms, allowing them to help you improve your soil and keep harmful insects in check. This will also reduce the amounts of these pollutants entering our streams and ground water. Relying upon integrated pest management approaches and upon milder fertilizers can also save money. Gardeners who use rain barrels or cisterns to hold and store roof runoff have a source of pure water for their gardens – and can save money while reducing the volume of stormwater that causes local problems.
TCWA: Native Plants for Shady Locations (Downloadable pdf)
VIRGINIA
Albemarle County, Virginia, Native Plant Database
Based on available science, the plants recommended here were found in this region prior to the arrival of the colonists at Jamestown, thus making them native plants. Native plants are historic to the region, help give us a sense of place, and are an important part of our local ecosystem. A panel of local experts chose these plants based on their current or potential availability, their overall aesthetic interest, and their likelihood to grow well without major care. This database allows everyone from the development community to the backyard enthusiast to search for native plants by uses and growing conditions.
Audubon at Home In Northern Virginia
The Audubon at Home program was created to make a difference by supporting the efforts of property owners and managers to become better stewards of nature in your own outdoor spaces. It embraces the principles of the National Audubon Society’s Bird-Friendly Communities and promotes citizen participation in conserving and restoring local natural habitat and biodiversity.
Certifying properties as “Wildlife Sanctuaries” is a volunteer-driven project of the Northern Virginia chapter of the National Audubon Society. It embraces the principles of the National Audubon Society’s Bird-Friendly Communities and promotes citizen participation in conserving and restoring local natural habitat and biodiversity.
The largest volume of acreage available for conservation and restoration of healthy green space in Northern Virginia is “at home” in our own backyards. Incentives for participation include making a difference in aiding the environment and pride in property certification and registration as an “Audubon at Home Wildlife Sanctuary.”
The Blue Ridge Poison Center at University of Virginia Health & Virginia Master Naturalists: The Socrates Project: Poisonous Plants in Virginia
Twenty-five plants that grow in the wild in Virginia are discussed in this publication, including the plant’s description, where it may be found, what part(s) of the plant are toxic, common symptoms, and look-alikes. Each discussion of a plant is accompanied by pictures of that plant, most of which were taken by VMN volunteers. **It’s important to note that many of the native plants listed have high wildlife value and should not be immediately discounted as an addition to one’s garden.**
Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora
The Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora is the online successor to the Atlas of the Virginia Flora, which was published in three hard-copy editions between 1977 and 1992. Although it is still a work in progress in many respects, the Digital Atlas contains the most comprehensive information available on the geographic distribution of vascular plants in the Commonwealth.
Earth Sangha
The Wild Plant Nursery is a unique resource for ecological restoration in the greater Washington, DC, area. Established in 2001 in Springfield, Virginia, under an agreement with the Fairfax County Park Authority, the nursery is the region’s most comprehensive source of local, wild native-plant material (“local ecotypes”). The use of local ecotypes is a standard best practice in ecological restoration because that helps to safeguard genetic diversity and local adaptation in the species planted. The nursery is currently working with about 340 species, some uncommon or rare in the wild in this region. For many of these species, our nursery is the DC area’s only source of production — local ecotype or otherwise. All plants are grown from seed (or spores) that we ourselves collect, from over 50 local natural areas. (We collect only with permission.) The nursery serves our own planting programs, as well as those of area governments, schools, businesses, and other conservation nonprofits.
Native Plants for Disturbed Areas (Downloadable pdf)
Native Plants for Mesic to Dry Sunny Meadow (Downloadable pdf)
Native Plants for Mesic to Dry Woodland (Downloadable pdf)
Native Plants for Sunny Rain Garden (Downloadable pdf)
Native Plants for Woodland Edge and Streamside (Downloadable pdf)
Wild Garden Manual (Downloadable pdf)
Fairfax County, Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD)
We promote soil and water conservation in Fairfax County and beyond. We are innovators. We promote hands-on conservation. We provide technical expertise. We develop young environmental leaders. We recognize conservation heroes. We help you bring conservation home. We prevent pollution, reduce runoff and protect our streams and rivers. We are the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District.
Annual Spring Native Seedling Sale
Flora of Virginia Project
The Flora of Virginia Project was undertaken in 2001 to steer creation of the first comprehensive reference work on the native and naturalized plants of Virginia.
Green Spring Gardens, Fairfax County Park Authority, Virginia
Green Spring Gardens serves Fairfax County residents and visitors by advancing the awareness and practice of gardening. The gardens and educational programs focus on practical landscaping techniques that are appropriate for the Washington metro area. Additional programs emphasize historic influences on the land and Fairfax County residents’ role in preserving cultural resources. Open to the public are a horticulture center, library, demonstration gardens, a historic landscape and buildings, and a wooded stream valley with ponds.
USING NATIVE PLANTS TO ATTRACT BIRDS IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C. AREA AND VIRGINIA (Downloadable pdf)
USING NATIVE PLANTS TO ATTRACT BUTTERFLIES, MOTHS BEES & OTHER POLLINATORS IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C. AREA AND VIRGINIA (Downloadable pdf)
RECOMMENDED NATIVE HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS FOR SUNNY GARDENS IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C. AREA (Downloadable pdf)
RECOMMENDED NATIVE HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS AND FERNS FOR SHADE GARDENS IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C. AREA (Downloadable pdf)
The Ivy Creek Foundation in Charlottesville, Virginia is a non-profit organization whose mission is connecting people to our lands present and past. The Ivy Creek Foundation:
- Preserves and manages Ivy Creek for environmental education and appreciation.
- Gives free Field Trip program to over 2,500 people a year.
- Offers a year round schedule of public programs free to the public and enjoyed by over 1,500 people last year.
Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy
Our Vision: A county where people live in balance with wildlife and act with understanding of the value and importance of nature.
Our Mission: Promote the preservation and proliferation of healthy wildlife habitats throughout Loudoun County by fostering an understanding of the value of nature and providing opportunities for applying that knowledge to the betterment of the natural environment.
Habitat Restoration
Northern Virginia Conservation Trust
Northern Virginia Conservation Trust (NVCT) is a nonprofit land trust that strengthens and forever conserves the land, water, and scenic character of Northern Virginia. Since our founding in 1994, we have protected more than 7,000 acres in urban and rural places in our service area of more than 2.9 million residents. Today Northern Virginia’s lands are threatened by extreme development pressures and climate change, making conservation work crucial to sustaining livable and healthy communities. Land conservation provides natural places for children to play, scenic views, and green spaces that help improve mental health and well-being. From working farms and forests, to urban lands, parks and nature preserves, we are your local land trust Saving Nearby Nature now and for future generations.
Plant Virginia Natives
This site is being provided by the Virginia Native Plant Marketing Partnership as a hub for information about Virginia’s native plants and the marketing and education resources the partners have to offer.
Native Plants of the Northern Neck
Native Plants for Central Rappahannock
Native Plants for Southeast Virginia
Plant Southwest Virginia Natives
Native Plants for Virginia’s Capital Region
Plant Eastern Shore Natives
Plant Northern Virginia Natives
Plant Northern Piedmont Natives
Virginia Cooperative Extension, Arlington & Alexandria
Plant NOVA Natives! Why are native plants important? How do I select native plants? Where can I buy native plants?
Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia: Best Bets: Plants for Particular Uses
Best Bets for Dry Conditions (Downloadable pdf)
Best Bests for Wet Conditions (Downloadable pdf)
Best Bets for Pollinators (Downloadable pdf)
Tried-and-True Plants
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
The mission of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is to conserve Virginia’s natural and recreational resources. DCR supports a variety of environmental programs organized within six areas (Administration, Natural Heritage, Planning and Recreation Resources, Stormwater Management, State Parks, and Dam Safety and Floodplain Management) and numerous policy and/or advisory boards including the Board of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia Cave Board, Board on Conservation and Development of Public Beaches, and the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board).
Virginia Native Plant Finder
Native Plants for Conservation, Restoration & Landscaping — Virginia Coastal Plain (Downloadable pdf)
Native Plants for Conservation, Restoration & Landscaping — Virginia Grasslands (Downloadable pdf)
Native Plants for Conservation, Restoration & Landscaping — Virginia Mountain Region (Downloadable pdf)
Native Plants for Conservation, Restoration & Landscaping — Virginia Piedmont Region (Downloadable pdf)
Native Plants for Conservation, Restoration & Landscaping — Virginia Riparian Buffer Zones (Downloadable pdf)
Other fact sheets and brochures from stewardship to natural communities, animal and plant species and invasive alien plants.
VA Department of Game & Inland Fisheries: Habitat for Wildlife
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries wants to help you help wildlife on your property. The Habitat Partners© program encourages corporate landowners, private landowners, schools, and homeowners to improve habitat in their community that will benefit Virginia’s songbirds, mammals, amphibians and other wildlife.
Habitat refers to the essential elements that all wildlife species need to survive: adequate food, water, and shelter in an appropriate arrangement. A diverse habitat is one that has a wide range of plant types, layers, and edges that provide cover from weather and predators, nectar sources for insects, nuts and berries for birds and mammals, and places to raise young. The more diverse the habitat features, the greater the diversity of wildlife that can live there.
The face of our landscape is constantly changing, and with increasing urbanization and development comes fragmentation and loss of critical habitats. Habitat loss is the greatest single factor adversely affecting wildlife populations today.
Guide to Feeding Wild Birds (Downloadable pdf)
Habitat at Home (Downloadable pdf)
Habitat Gardening for Wildlife (Downloadable pdf)
Managing Land in the Piedmont of Virginia for the Benefit of Birds and Other Wildlife (Downloadable pdf)
Providing Water in Your Habitat at Home (Downloadable pdf)
Virginia Native Plant Society
The Virginia Native Plant Society is dedicated to the protection and preservation of the native plants of Virginia and their habitats, in order to sustain for generations to come the integrity of the Commonwealth’s rich natural heritage of ecosystems and biodiversity for purposes of enjoyment, enlightenment, sustainable use, and our own very survival. To this end, we advocate and follow practices that will conserve our natural endowment, and we discourage and combat practices that will endanger or destroy it. We are committed to do all we can to slow the accelerating conversion of natural landscape to built and planted landscape and to reduce its damage to natural ecosystems.
VNPS Brochures
Do I Have to Mow All That? (Downloadable pdf)
Hedgerows and Other Corners of Natural Diversity in Our Countryside Gardens (Downloadable pdf)
Meet the Natives (Downloadable pdf), VNSP South Hampton Roads Chapter, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Wildflowers for Butterfly Gardens (Downloadable pdf), Prince William Wildflower Society, Manassas, Virginia
Wildflowers for Woodland Gardens (Downloadable pdf), Prince William Wildflower Society, Manassas, Virginia
Native Alternatives to English Ivy (Downloadable pdf)
Virginia Wildflowers
Virginia Wildflowers is a natural history photo gallery and casual field guide to wildflowers and mushrooms. Most of the images you’ll find here were taken in the mountainous region of southwestern Virginia, an area rich in biodiversity. For this website, I use a digital camera to capture close-ups of the identifying features of each species: usually leaves, stems, flowers, and fruit. I post the photos, along with a little bit of natural history information for each species. My goal is to help myself remember the information from year to year, and to help others (–maybe you?) who might be curious about such things.
WEST VIRGINIA
Beckley Sanitary Board
West Virginia Native Plant List For Your Rain Garden
West Virginia Department of Natural Resources
West Virginia Wildlife Diversity Program Publications
Checklist and Atlas of the Vascular Flora of West Virginia (Downloadable pdf)
Butterfly Gardening in West Virginia (Downloadable pdf)
West Virginia Native Plant Society
Dedicated to the conservation and appreciation of West Virginia’s native plants and habitats.