Native Herbs: A Benefit to Our Gardens and Our Pollinators
From a botany standpoint, an herb or herbaceous plant is defined as a seed-producing annual, biennial, or perennial that does not develop persistent woody tissue and dies down at the end of a growing season. However, an herb can also be described as a plant used and valued for its medicinal, culinary, or aromatic qualities. This expands the definition of herbs to include woody plants and trees. Throughout the centuries, we have used herbs in myriad ways; some were even thought to possess magical properties. Now we often include them in our gardens for their culinary value by planting basil (Ocimum spp.) to flavor tomato sauce, chives (Allium schoenoprasum) to top baked potatoes, and dill (Anethum graveolens) to make pickles. We may plant pleasingly scented herbs, such as lavender (Lavandula spp.) and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), soaps, or potpourris. Research shows the benefits of planting native plants to support our native pollinators, and while non-native herbs, like those mentioned above, can also benefit pollinators, native herbs are the most beneficial. As with other native plants, they have evolved with our native pollinators, and relationships have developed between them. Along with benefiting native pollinators, native herbs can also be a beautiful addition to a yard or garden.
Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
A member of the aster family (Asteraceae). Its common name may have derived from its use to treat dengue fever, also called bone-break fever, in the 1700s, or the belief that it aided in the healing of broken bones. It can be found growing naturally in wetland areas such as marshes, bogs, and along the banks of streams and ponds, making it a good choice for rain or water gardens and naturalized areas near ponds or streams. With an upright habit and growing to 4 to 6 feet tall, it prefers full sun and tolerates both sand and clay soils. Pairs of finely toothed, lance-shaped leaves join to surround hairy stems, giving rise to its species name, perfoliatum, meaning "through the leaf,” describing the characteristic appearance in which the stem appears to grow through or perfoliate the paired leaves.
As a pollinator plant:
Flat-topped clusters of small, white, tubular florets bloom in July through September. The flowers open from the center of the clusters outward, providing a long season of floral resources for a number of pollinators, including bees, moths, butterflies, and several species of flies. Yellow-faced bees (Hylaeus spp.) and bumble bees (Bombus spp.) visit the flowers for nectar, and mining bees (Andrena spp.) and sweat bees (Lasioglossum spp.) partake of both nectar and pollen. Boneset's nectar is especially appealing to a number of wasp species, including northern paper wasp (Polistes Fuscatus), bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata), humped-backed beewolf (Philiathus gibbosus), and four-banded sand wasp (Bicyrtes quadrifasciatus). Boneset is the larval host plant for the Clymene moth (Haploa clymene), three-lined flower moth (Schinia trifascia), and boneset borer moth (Carmenta pyralidiformis). Mason bees (Osmia spp.) and small carpenter bees (Ceratina spp.) may nest in their stiff, hollow stems, so cut the stems to 12 to 24 inches in late fall and allow them to disintegrate naturally.
Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
A member of the geranium family (Geraniaceae). Its genus name is derived from the Greek word "geranos", meaning crane, referring to its beak-like seed capsules that are said to resemble a crane's head and beak, giving rise to its other common names, cranesbill and crane's bill geranium. Historically, it has been used to treat diarrhea, mouth, and throat ailments, and open wounds. Found growing naturally in deciduous woodlands and shady thickets, wild geranium is a good choice for partially shaded borders and woodland gardens. Spreading easily through a rhizomatous root system, they can be used in mass for ground cover. With a clump-forming, mounding habit, wild geranium grows 12 to 24 inches tall. It prefers light shade to partial sunlight but tolerates full sun if given adequate moisture. Although it typically grows naturally in rich, loamy soil with abundant organic matter, it can tolerate poor soils. A semi-evergreen, its leaves are composed of five, deeply lobed leaflets that join at the center in a palm-like fashion (palmately lobed) with fine hairs on the upper surface and coarse hairs on the underside.
As a pollinator plant:
Blooming in late spring through early summer, pink to lilac, upward-facing, saucer-shaped flowers rise above the foliage on upright, hairy stems. The flowers have five rounded petals with fine, slightly darker veins that radiate to the center of the flower, serving as nectar guides for visiting pollinators, directing them past the anthers to the nectar reward. Wild geranium supports a specialist mining bee, Andrena distans, and is the larval host plant for the leaf mining moth (Parectopa geraniella) and white-marked tussock moth (Orgyia leucostigma). The nectar and pollen attract foraging bumble bees, mason bees, cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), long-horned bees (Synhalonia spp.), and sweat bees. Syrphid flies (Pipizza spp.), predatory dance flies (Empis spp.), butterflies, and skippers are also frequent visitors to wild geranium flowers.
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
A member of the mint family (Lamiaceae). While fans of Earl Grey tea may be familiar with the name bergamot, it is not the same plant as the one in the tea. Bergamot, Citrus bergamia, also called bergamot orange, is a fragrant citrus fruit common throughout the Mediterranean, and its oil is used to create the tea's signature citrusy flavor and scent. Native Americans used tea made from wild bergamot to treat colds, fevers, headaches, and abdominal pain, and poultices to treat skin infections, cuts, and abrasions. Found growing naturally in meadows, thickets, clearings, roadsides, and disturbed habitats, it is well-suited for perennial beds, wild gardens, meadows, or naturalized areas. With a clump-forming habit, wild bergamot will grow 2 to 4 feet tall with oblong, toothed, greyish-green leaves on stiff square stems. It grows best in full sun and medium-moisture soils but will tolerate partial shade and occasional drought. Be sure to allow good air circulation, as it is prone to powdery mildew.
As a pollinator plant:
Lavender flowers bloom for 4 to 6 weeks in the summer. Solitary, two-lipped, tubular flowers are clustered to form ragged pom-poms resting on rings of showy, pinkish-green, leafy bracts (modified leaves) at the ends of the stems. Wild bergamot is a preferred nectar plant of bumble bees, and they will choose to visit these flowers over many other native plants blooming at the same time. Hummingbird clearwing moths (Hemaris spp.) are common daily visitors as well. Because of the length of the tubular corolla, only pollinators with the longest tongues, like moths, butterflies, and bumble bees, are able to access the nectar on their own. Shorter-tongued pollinators, like sweat bees, leafcutter bees (Megachile spp.), and mining bees (Andrena spp.), rely on small holes chewed in the flower by predatory insects like the mason wasp (Parazumia symmorpha) to access the nectar. It is the larval host plant for the hermit sphinx moth (Lintneria eremitus) and snout moths (Pyrausta gererosa and P. signatalis). Wild bergamot's species name, fistulosa, means hollow or reed-like, referring to the hollow stem. This characteristic makes it a possible nesting site for tunnel-nesting small carpenter bees, so cut the stems to 12 to 24 inches in late fall and allow them to disintegrate naturally.
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
A member of the poppy family (Papaveraceae). A spring ephemeral, it gets both its common name and genus name, derived from the Latin word sanguis, meaning blood, from the bright reddish-orange sap that all parts of the plant exude when cut. This sap was used by Native Americans as a dye. Bloodroot has been used medicinally as an emetic and to treat sore throats, asthma, cuts, sores, and poison ivy, but be aware that it is poisonous and can be fatal if ingested in large quantities. Found growing naturally in thickets, flood plains, along streams and ponds, and in large masses in the thin leaf litter layer of deciduous woodlands, it is best suited for woodland gardens or other shaded areas where the plants can be allowed to naturalize. Their small brown seeds, eaten and dispersed by ants, allow them to spread quickly, making bloodroot a good choice for seasonal ground cover around the bases of trees. Bloodroot pairs well with other native woodland wildflowers, such as Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica), bent trillium (Trillium flexipes), and foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), and native ferns such as ebony spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron), Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), and cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea). They prefer full to partial shade and moist, well-drained soils. Spreading to form large colonies, each plant produces a flower stalk which is wrapped tightly by a single grayish or bluish-green, multi-lobed, palm-shaped (palmate) leaf that unfurls as the flower blooms. The leaf will continue to grow in size, up to 9 inches across, until mid to late summer when the plant goes dormant.
As a pollinator plant:
Bloodroot is one of the first spring ephemerals to bloom, flowering from March to early May. Each flower stalk produces a solitary, cup-like, white flower, typically with eight petals, four larger ones and four smaller ones, arranged symmetrically around a yellow center. Lasting only a few days, the flowers open fully on sunny days, but close again at night, resembling white candles. These flowers produce no nectar, only pollen. The primary pollinator of bloodroot flowers is the mining bee, but sweat bees will also collect pollen. They are the larval host plant for the southern armyworm moth (Spodoptera eridania) and the tufted apple bud moth (Platynota idaeusalis). Initially, the pollen-containing anthers bend downward toward the outside of the flower, making the pollen available to visiting insects and preventing self-pollination. Near the third day of flowering, in cold weather when pollinators are absent, the anthers will bend inwards, allowing the flowers to self-pollinate.
Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
A member of the bellflower family (Campanulaceae). Historically, it has been used to treat coughs, nosebleeds, headaches, colds, and, as its species name would suggest, the venereal disease syphilis. Also commonly known as blue cardinal flower, it is found growing naturally in wetland areas, along streams, springs, and swamps, and in meadows and low-wooded areas, making it an ideal plant for woodland gardens and rain gardens. While it prefers partial shade, it will tolerate full sun if the soil is kept consistently moist, making it also suitable for borders, meadows, naturalized areas, and near ponds or streams. With an erect, clump-forming habit, it will grow 2 to 4 feet tall. Finely-toothed oval or lance-shaped leaves are arranged alternately on unbranched stems.
As a pollinator plant:
Light to dark blue flowers bloom in late summer into fall. Dense, elongated clusters of flowers (racemes) are borne on stiff, unbranched, leafy stalks that arise from upper leaf axils (the angle between the stem and the leaf). The five-parted, tubular flowers, referred to as two-lipped, consist of two narrow lobes making up the upper lip and three larger lobes, the lower. The flat lower lip acts as a landing pad for some bee species. Bumble bees are the most frequent visitors to blue lobelia flowers and are considered their primary pollinator. With a preference for long-tubed flowers, red-tipped digger bees (Anthophora terminalis) use their head and tongue to access the nectar, while smaller yellow-faced bees, small carpenter bees, and green sweat bees (Augochlorini tribe) crawl into the flower to feed on the nectar. Hummingbirds and butterflies also feed on their nectar.
Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)
A member of the verbena family (Verbenaceae). Thought to be a “cure-all,” it has been used medicinally to treat depression, headaches, jaundice, cramps, coughs, and fevers. Dried, crushed flowers were used as a snuff to treat nosebleeds. Its nutlet-type seeds, eaten by songbirds, have been dried and ground into a flour substitute. Also commonly referred to as swamp verbena, it is found growing naturally in meadows, thickets, floodplains, riverbanks, marshes, and near streams and ponds. It can be used in mixed informal plantings but is ideally suited for moist sites in meadows, rain gardens, and near streams and ponds. With a clump-forming, upright habit, it will grow 3 to 6 feet tall, preferring full to partial sun and average, medium to wet soils. Slender, deeply veined, lance-shaped leaves with toothed margins grow up to 6 inches long on green or reddish, square, hairy stems.
As a pollinator plant:
Blue violet, ¼ inch flowers bloom from July through September on loose, branching, 2 to 6 inch, pencil-like spikes (panicles). Densely packed with flowers, the panicles are arranged in candelabra-like clusters that rise above the foliage. Five petal-like lobes fuse together to form a short tube that is surrounded by stiff hairs. These hairs help to keep small insects, such as ants, from stealing the nectar. Flowers develop and open from the bottom of the spike upward, and each individual flower lasts about six days, creating a long bloom time of up to two months. Blue vervain produces large quantities of nectar and is primarily used as a nectar source for visiting pollinators such as syrphid flies (Tropidia spp. and Eristalis spp.), thick-headed flies (Stylogaster neglecta), bee flies (Bombylius spp.), and many butterfly species. Many bee species, including sweat bees, small carpenter bees, bumble bees, long-horned bees, and a specialist verbena bee (Calliopsis nebraskensis), are frequent visitors. It is the larval host plant for the verbena moth (Crambodes talidiformis) and common buckeye (Junonia coenia).
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
A member of the aster family (Asteraceae). Native Americans used it to treat fevers, and it was often used in combination with other herbs such as goldenrod. Growing naturally in meadows, fields, along roadsides, and disturbed sites, often alongside goldenrod (Solidago spp.), it is a great addition to native gardens, cutting gardens, or as an accent plant in a more formal garden. It will tolerate clay soil, so it may also be used in a rain garden. With an upright habit, it may grow 3 to 7 feet tall, preferring full sun but will tolerate partial shade. Affixed to stiff, hairy stems, its lance-shaped leaves are hairy with smooth margins. Plants can be prone to powdery mildew, so be sure to allow space to provide good air circulation.
As a pollinator plant:
Branching clusters of purple, daisy-like flowers bloom from August through September. Each stalk can bear more than 12 composite-type flowers, meaning that each bloom is an aggregate made up of around 100 purple ray florets, the "petals," and yellow tube-like, disk florets that make up the center. The disc florets contain both nectar and pollen and are visited by many species of flies and bees, including a specialist mining bee (Andrena simplex). New England aster is one of the preferred pollinator plants of moths and butterflies in the fall, providing a good food source to fuel migration. The contrasting purple and yellow colors create a visual cue to help guide the insects to the nectar. While each disc floret only contains a small amount of nectar, there are numerous disc florets, and one flower can yield a substantial amount of nectar. The flowers have an open, flat landing platform that provides a perch for the butterflies and moths while they feed. They are the larval host plant for the pearl crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos) and the Canadian Sonia moth.
Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa)
A member of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). The common name, cohosh, comes from a Native American word meaning "rough," referring to the plant's hard, knotted rhizomes that have been used medicinally to treat musculoskeletal pain, fever, cough, pneumonia, sore throat, and snake bites, as well as used as an insect repellent and in a tonic to support women's reproductive health. Also commonly called bugbane, it has been used as an insect repellent. Found growing naturally in mixed deciduous forests, wooded slopes, and creek margins, black cohosh prefers partial to full shade and average to medium moisture soils. Generally growing to 4 to 6 feet tall, it may, in ideal locations, reach heights of 8 feet and is best suited as a vertical accent at the back of a shady garden, woodland setting, or naturalized area. Borne on green or purplish stems, its leaves are pinnately compound, meaning each leaf is composed of leaflets that are arranged on opposite sides of an elongated stem (petiole), and those leaflets are divided into a second set of leaflets.
As a pollinator plant:
Rising well above the foliage on wiry stems, 1 to 2 foot-long clusters (racemes) of white flowers bloom in mid-summer to early fall. The flowers open from the bottom of the raceme upwards, creating a long bloom time. Each raceme is composed of hundreds of individual flowers with no petals. They consist of tight clusters of many stamens surrounding a white stigma. The flowers have a strong, sweetly fetid odor that attracts hundreds of bees, flies, gnats, and beetles. Black cohosh is the larval host plant for the Appalachian azure (Celastrina neglectamajor) whose caterpillars consume the plant's flowers rather than its leaves.
