Native Plants I’ve Actually Seen Growing Wild in Southern Ontario
Acer saccharinum (silver maple) --along the sides of highways
Acer saccharum (sugar maple) --GTA ravines
Achillea millefolia (yarrow) --GTA ravines
Allium schoenoprasum (wild chives) --GTA ravines, Ridgetown
Allium tricoccum (ramps) --Niagara region escarpments
Amaranthus retroflexus (redroot amaranth) --fallow areas in the GTA
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (ragweed) --fallow areas in the GTA
Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed) --parks in the GTA
Amelanchier spp. (saskatoon/serviceberry) --GTA ravines
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit) --GTA ravines
Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry) --ravines and parks in the GTA
Asarum canadense (Canada ginger) --GTA ravines
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) --fallow areas, ravines, and parks throughout southern Ontario from Windsor to GTA
Asplenium trichomanes (maidenhair spleenwort) --Niagara region escarpments
Betula spp. (birch) --ravines and parks throughout southern Ontario from Windsor to GTA
Bidens spp. (beggar ticks) --GTA ravines
Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh) --GTA parks
Ceratophyllum demersum (hornwort) --GTA ravines (native in freshwater across the globe anyway)
Circaea lutetiana (enchanter’s nightshade) --fallow areas in the GTA
Commelina spp. (dayflower) --fallow areas in Windsor
Cornus alternifolia (Pagoda dogwood) --GTA wooded areas
Cornus sericea (red osier dogwood) --GTA ravines and in Windsor riverside parks
Crataegus spp. (hawthorn) --GTA ravines and parks
Echinocystis lobata (wild prickly cucumber) --GTA ravines
Elaeagnus commutata (silverberry) --GTA parks and fallow areas
Epilobium ciliatum (fringed willowherb) --fallow areas in the GTA
Equisetum spp. (horsetail/scouring rush) --GTA ravines and fallow areas
Erigeron spp. (fleabane) --GTA parks and fallow areas, Ridgetown
Erythronium americanum (trout lily) --GTA ravines and parks
Eutrochium maculatum (Joe-Pye weed) --GTA parks
Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry) --fallow areas in the GTA
Geranium maculatum (wild geranium) --Windsor green spaces
Geranium robertianum (herb robert) --Windsor green spaces
Geum aleppicum (yellow avens) --GTA fallow areas
Geum canadense (white avens) --GTA fallow areas
Geum macrophyllum (large-leaved avens) --GTA fallow areas
Gymnocladus dioicus (Kentucky coffee tree) --GTA ravines
Helianthus spp. (sunflower) --GTA fallow areas and parks
Heracleum maximum (cow parsnip) --GTA ravines
Hordeum jubatum (foxtail barley) --GTA fallow areas
Humulus lupulus (hops) --GTA ravines
Hydrophyllum virginianum (Virginia waterleaf) --GTA ravines
Impatiens capensis (jewelweed) --GTA ravines and in Windsor riverside parks
Juglans nigra (black walnut) --GTA ravines
Lactuca canadensis (Canadian lettuce) --GTA fallow areas
Lilium michiganense (Michigan lily) --GTA ravines
Lupinus perennis (sundial lupine) --GTA parks
Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower) --GTA ravines
Maianthemum racemosum (starry false solomon’s seal) --GTA ravines and parks
Maianthemum stellatum (starry false solomon’s seal) --GTA ravines
Matteuccia struthiopteris (ostrich fern) --GTA ravines
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) --GTA ravines and parks
Morus rubra (red mulberry) --fallow areas in Windsor, GTA parks
Myosotis laxa (smallflower forget-me-not) --GTA fallow areas
Oenothera biennis (evening primrose) --GTA fallow areas
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern) --GTA ravines
Oxalis stricta (yellow wood sorrel) --fallow areas and ravines throughout southern Ontario from Windsor to GTA
Parietaria pensylvanica (Pennsylvania pellitory) --GTA fallow areas
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper) --Windsor fallow areas and GTA ravines and parks
Persicaria lapathifolia (curlytop smartweed) --GTA fallow areas
Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple) --GTA ravines and parks
Portulaca oleracea (purslane) --fallow areas throughout southern Ontario from Windsor to GTA (native globally anyway)
Potentilla norvejica monspeliensis (ternate-leaved cinquefoil) --GTA fallow areas
Prunella vulgaris (selfheal) --fallow areas and ravines throughout southern Ontario from Windsor to GTA
Prunus virginiana (chokecherry) --Windsor fallow areas, GTA ravines and parks, Niagara region escarpments
Pteridium aquilinum latiusculum (western bracken fern) --GTA parks
Quercus spp. (oak) --wooded areas throughout southern Ontario from Windsor to GTA
Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac) --parks and fallow areas throughout southern Ontario from Windsor to Collingwood
Ribes spp. (currants) --GTA ravines and parks
Ribes spp. (gooseberries) --GTA ravines
Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust) --GTA ravines and parks
Rosa spp. (roses) --GTA ravines, parks, and fallow areas
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry) --ravines, parks, and fallow areas in Hamilton and GTA
Rubus odoratus (purple-flowered raspberry) --GTA ravines and parks
Rubus strigosus (American red raspberry) --GTA parks
Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed susan) --GTA parks
Salix spp. (willow) --GTA ravines
Sambucus canadensis (common elderberry) --Windsor riverside parks, GTA ravines
Sambucus racemosa (red elderberry) --GTA ravines and parks
Smilax spp. (greenbrier) --GTA parks
Solidago canadensis (Canada goldenrod) --parks and fallow areas throughout southern Ontario from Windsor to GTA
Sorbus spp. (mountain ash) --GTA ravines and parks
Streptopus spp. (twistedstalk) --GTA parks
Symphoricarpos spp. (snowberry) --GTA parks
Symphyotrichum ericoides (heath aster) --fallow areas throughout southern Ontario from Windsor to GTA
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England aster) --fallow areas throughout southern Ontario from Windsor to GTA
Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage) --GTA parks
Tilia spp. (linden) --GTA ravines
Trillium grandiflorum (white trillium) --parks throughout southern Ontario from Windsor to GTA
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock) --GTA parks
Typha latifolia (broad-leaved cattail) --marshes in Essex county and GTA
Urtica gracilis (slender nettle) --GTA ravines
Uvularia spp. (bellwort) --streams in Windsor green spaces
Verbena hastata (blue vervain) --GTA ravines
Viburnum lentago (nannyberry) --GTA parks and Ridgetown ravine
Viburnum trilobum (highbush cranberry) --Ridgetown
Viola sororia (wood violet) --fallow areas and wooded areas throughout southern Ontario from Windsor to GTA
Vitis riparia (riverbank grape) --GTA fallow areas, ravines, and parks
Waldsteinia fragarioides (barren strawberry) --GTA ravines and parks
Xanthium strumarium canadense (Canada cocklebur) --GTA parks and fallow areas
I’ve likely seen many others and just couldn’t identify them, but there are a lot I’ve never seen growing wild. What I’m hoping is that some of the native species I have in my garden will make their way to the nearby ravine. If I get around to it, though, I might just take a walk with some Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) seeds in the fall. They certainly seem to successfully germinate in my garden whether I want them to or not (don’t have space for them to go crazy). Can’t see why they wouldn’t in a natural swamp area.
10 notes
·
View notes
7 Bee-Friendly Weeds You Should Keep Around
Bees
can’t survive without access to a variety of pollen- and nectar-rich blooms, but often, what we consider pesky, unwanted weeds are actually beneficial plants that attract hordes of happy bees. As an added benefit, many also draw butterflies and a variety of beneficial insects to your garden. The best thing we can do for bees is to put the hoe back in the shed, say goodbye to the toxic chemicals, and make peace with those bee-friendly weeds. Here are 7 common, easy-to-grow weeds that you should keep definitely around.
Dandelions
(
Taraxacum
spp.) – Although
dandelions
tend to get a bad rap, these weeds are actually quite beneficial to both us and the bees. Keep them around and this bee-friendly plant will bring in the pollinators galore. Plus, you can harvest the greens and puffy yellow flowers for yourself. They’re edible and nutritious.
Creeping charlie
(G
lechoma hederacea
) – The
creeping charlie weed
is rivaled only by dandelions in terms of its difficulty to control, but why go through the trouble. Bees love the small purple flowers and its scalloped foliage is attractive in the landscape too, earning its other name of ground ivy.
Creeping thyme
(
Thymus serpyllum
) – There are many
creeping thyme
varieties, and some are considered weedy plants because of their spreading capabilities. That being said, these plants provide a nice carpet of fragrant blooms that bees find quite enticing.
Bee balm
(
Monarda
spp.) – Most people love adding
bee balm
to their gardens even though in some places the plant is considered as nothing more than a pesky landscape weed. But the plant’s name says it all and bees find the blooms nearly irresistible.
Wild geranium
(
Geranium maculatum
) – Typically found growing along roadsides or woodlands, this hardy geranium can also make itself right at home in the garden. Also called
cranesbill geranium
, the plant may produce blooms of pink to purple with some types that are white.
Joe pye weed
(
Eutrochium
spp.) – Why would you grow this weed in the landscape? Why not would be more like it, as the pinkish-purple flowers of
joe-pye weed
attract not only bees but a multitude of butterflies with its sweet nectar.
Anise hyssop
(
Agastache foeniculum
) – Not sure why anyone would consider this plant a weed, as
anise hyssop
is anything but, with the exception to its self-seeding which can be remedies with pruning or deadheading. The bees will appreciate its presence in the garden almost as much as you since the plant makes a useful herb and flavorful tea.
This is is a syndicated post. Read the original at blog.gardeningknowhow.com
viahttps://creativegardens123.com/7-bee-friendly-weeds-you-should-keep-around/
0 notes