What makes a plant native? Native plants are species that evolved in a specific region without any known human involvement.

Why are native plants important? About our Logo: The Black-eyed Susan Native plants co-evolved with native ( hirta) is a host plant for the Silvery species of and . They are Checkerspot ( nycteis) butterfly. The Benjamin Franklin an important part of our regional caterpillars eat the leaves of the Black-eyed ecosystem. Susan. The Carolina Chickadee (Poecile Middle School carolinensis) feeds the caterpillars to it’s young. Adult birds will eat the butterflies, the Demonstration Garden caterpillars and the seeds of the Black-eyed What is a larval host plant? Susan. Caterpillars are very picky eaters. Each On the cover: Maidenhair Fern species of caterpillar will only eat a few (Adiantum pendatum). Photo by Kathy Fell species of plants. This project was funded by a 30 in 30 Green Grant from Keep Virginia Beautiful, in partnership How do plants defend themselves? with Altria and Coca-Cola. For more information, visit our web site at Plants don’t like to be eaten. Some have www.plantvirginianatives.org/about-2 thorns, some have waxy leaves and some produce bad tasting chemicals. Some plants even trap and digest insects. Can you find these native plants Wild Geranuim (Geranium Basil Beebalm (Monarda growing along the trail? maculatum) blooms from April clinopodia) blooms from May to to June. Twenty-seven species of September. Twelve species of butterfly and moth caterpillars moth caterpillars eat the leaves. Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema eat the leaves. Birds and small Hummingbirds and triphyllum) blooms from March to mammals eat the seeds. pollinators visit the flowers. April and is pollinated by flies. One Photo by Kathy Fell Photo by Gary Fleming species of moth caterpillar eats the Blue Flag Iris (Iris Virginica) May Apple (Podophyllum leaves. Birds and turtles eat the blooms from April to May. peltatum) blooms from berries. The plant contains calcium Eleven species of moth March to May. Six species of oxalate, which is poisonous for caterpillars eat the leaves. moth caterpillars eat the people. Hummingbirds and insect leaves. Box turtles and small Photo by Gary Fleming mammals eat the fruit. pollinators visit the flowers. Photo by Ed Coleman River Oats (Chasmanthium Photo by Gary Fleming Spreading Jacob’s Ladder latifolium) blooms from June to Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) October. Seven species of moth (Polemonium reptans) blooms blooms from March to April. from April to June. Two species and skipper caterpillars eat the Thirteen species of butterfly and leaves. Birds and small of moth caterpillars eat the moth caterpillars eat the leaves. leaves. Butterflies and native mammals eat the seeds. Birds eat the red berries. Photo by Gary Fleming bees visit the flowers. Green and Gold (Chrysogonum Photo by Gary Fleming virginiamum) blooms from May Christmas Fern (Polystichum to June. No caterpillars eat this acrostichoides) is green all year. plant, but many pollinators visit Photo by Gary Fleming Five species of moth caterpillars eat the leaves. the flowers. Birds and small Great Blue Lobelia (obelia mammals eat the seeds. Grouse, wild turkey and deer Photo by Ed Coleman siphilitica) blooms from July to may eat the leaves in winter. October. Six species of moth White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) caterpillars eat the leaves. Photo by Kathy Fell blooms from August to October. Hoary Mountain Mint Hummingbirds and insect Three species of butterfly caterpillars (Pycnanthemum incanum) pollinators visit the flowers. eat the leaves. Hummingbirds and blooms from July to August. insects visit the flowers. The seeds Four species of moth are eaten by fly and moth larvae. caterpillars eat the leaves. Butterflies and other insect Photo by Gary Fleming Photo by Gary Fleming Photo by Gary Fleming pollinators visit the flowers.