Native Plant Finder by State
Published:
Pick your state for a three layer native planting: one canopy tree, one understory shrub or small tree, and one flowering ground layer perennial. This is not a plan to remove your lawn. It is a plan for the edges, the borders and the tree layer around the turf you are keeping, which is where nearly all of the ecological work available to an ordinary yard actually sits. Every species is checked against the USDA PLANTS Database for its distribution and nativity in the state you choose, and every wildlife figure is a published genus level count, labelled as such.
Choose your state
Hawaii is not listed. Every keystone species this dataset covers that USDA records in Hawaii is flagged introduced there, so there is nothing to recommend. That gap is explained on the methodology page.
A three layer planting for Virginia
Wildlife counts below are the figures published for the Eastern Temperate Forests ecoregion, the dominant Level I region for Virginia. 69 species are verified for this state across the three layers, 31 of them with a USDA drought tolerance of High or Medium.
Canopy
The tree layer. This is where most of the caterpillars that birds feed their nestlings are produced, which is why a single tree choice outweighs everything else in the yard.
White Oak
Quercus alba- The genus Quercus hosts 436 caterpillar species in the published keystone list for this ecoregion. Genus-level figure, not a count for Quercus alba alone.
Growing conditions: shade tolerance medium, moisture use medium, mature height 100.0 ft, blooms mid spring, slow growth.
Drought tolerance: MediumNativity per USDA PLANTS: Native - CAN, Native - L48. Recorded in Virginia.
Why this one: it is the canopy species verified native to Virginia whose genus carries the highest published caterpillar host count in this ecoregion, out of 36 verified options in this layer.
Understory
Shrubs and small trees beneath the canopy. This layer carries the shoulder-season fruit and cover, and it is the easiest layer to add along an existing fence line or bed edge.
Coastal Plain Willow
Salix caroliniana- The genus Salix hosts 289 caterpillar species in the published keystone list for this ecoregion. Genus-level figure, not a count for Salix caroliniana alone.
- 14 pollen specialist bee species rely on the genus Salix. Genus-level figure.
Growing conditions: shade tolerance medium, moisture use high, mature height 33.0 ft, blooms early spring, rapid growth.
Drought tolerance: MediumNativity per USDA PLANTS: Native - L48. Recorded in Virginia.
Why this one: it is the understory species verified native to Virginia whose genus carries the highest published caterpillar host count in this ecoregion, out of 16 verified options in this layer.
Ground layer
Flowering perennials at ground level. This is the layer that keeps pollen and nectar available from spring through fall, and it is what specialist bees depend on.
Canada Goldenrod
Solidago altissima- The genus Solidago hosts 104 caterpillar species in the published keystone list for this ecoregion. Genus-level figure, not a count for Solidago altissima alone.
- 42 pollen specialist bee species rely on the genus Solidago. Genus-level figure.
Growing conditions: shade tolerance medium, moisture use medium, mature height 5.0 ft, blooms late spring, rapid growth.
Drought tolerance: Low.Nativity per USDA PLANTS: Introduced - HI, Native - CAN, Native - L48. Recorded in Virginia.
Why this one: it is the ground layer species verified native to Virginia whose genus carries the highest published caterpillar host count in this ecoregion, out of 17 verified options in this layer.
If Virginia is under watering restrictions
31 of the verified species for Virginia carry a USDA drought tolerance of High or Medium, including white oak, bur oak, blackjack oak. These are the constructive answer to a hosepipe or sprinkler ban, because once established they hold up on local rainfall in a way a cool season lawn will not. If your area is restricted right now, our Virginia water restrictions page tracks the current stage, and the Virginia xeriscape guide covers the wider low water planting approach.
The full verified list for this state, with every species in each layer and the regional context behind these picks, is on the Virginia native plants page. For what to do with the turf you are keeping, see the Virginia lawn care guide.
Common questions
What does a three layer native planting mean?
A canopy tree, an understory shrub or small tree, and a flowering ground layer perennial. The point is that a garden works as a community rather than a collection. The canopy and understory produce most of the caterpillars that birds feed their young, and the ground layer keeps pollen and nectar available across the season.
Do I have to remove my lawn to do this?
No. This tool is built for the edges, borders and tree layer around turf you are keeping. A single canopy tree and a planted bed along one fence line do most of the ecological work available to a typical yard without changing how the lawn itself is used.
Where do the caterpillar numbers come from?
They come from the National Wildlife Federation keystone plant sheets, which publish counts from Dr Doug Tallamy's research team at the University of Delaware. Every count is published at genus level, not species level, and this tool labels it that way on every figure.
How is a plant confirmed native to my state?
Each species is checked against the USDA PLANTS Database for both its recorded distribution in that state and its nativity status for the continental region the state sits in. Anything flagged introduced for that region is dropped rather than shown.
Which of these plants suit a watering ban?
Species whose USDA drought tolerance is listed as High or Medium are marked with a drought tolerance badge. Where USDA publishes no drought value for a species, no badge is shown rather than a guess.
Nativity, distribution and growing characteristics from the USDA NRCS PLANTS Database. Caterpillar and specialist bee counts from the National Wildlife Federation Keystone Native Plants sheets, which draw on research by Dr Doug Tallamy (University of Delaware) and Jarrod Fowler. All wildlife counts are genus level. Full sourcing, selection criteria and the limits of this data are set out on the methodology page.