Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
Grass Family Native Alternatives:
PRAIRIE JUNEGRASS. Family: Grass (Gramineae, Poaceae). Genus: Koeleria (K. macrantha, K. cristata, K. pyramidata). Height: 1–3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Eye-catching clumps of graceful fine-leaved grass. Fuzzy silvery white spikes of flowers May to July but always in June followed by lustrous silver-green seed heads. Cultivation: Sun/shade. Well-drained medium dry to dry soil. Note: Endangered in parts of the Midwest.
Prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha)
NORTHERN SWEETGRASS. Genus: Hierochloe (H. hirta). Origin: Circumpolar: North America and Europe. Height: 1–2 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Glossy, vanilla-scented green leaves and white spring flowers. Cultivation: Sun, light shade. Wet, moist to average garden soil. Spreads slowly. Nonnative Note: Do not confuse the native grass with nonnative sweet vernal grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum). Native American Note: Used ceremonially and as incense.
TUFTED HAIRGRASS. Genus: Deschampsia (D. caespitosa or cespitosa). Origin: Circumpolar: United States, Europe, Asia. Height: 1–4 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Airy, spring and midsummer flowers in shades of pale green or yellow change to dark purplish, then silvery and obscure the clumps of wiry dark green foliage. Foliage and seeds provide winter interest. Cultivation: Sun/part shade. Medium, moist or wet soil. Salt tolerant. Note: Rare in parts of the Midwest. Nature Note: Native grasses provide a large group of skippers and moth species with opportunities for reproduction.24 Birds eat the seeds and seek shelter in native grasses; grassland birds prefer native grasses for nesting.
Northern sweetgrass (Hierochloe hirta)
Tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa)
Nonnative:
COMFREY. Family: Forget-me-not, Borage (Boraginaceae). Genus: Symphytum (S. officinale). There are other species and cultivars. Origin: Europe, Asia. Height: 3–4 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Curled cluster of yellow, whitish, or pinkish flowers fading to blue. Cultivation: Sun/light shade. Moist soil. Invasiveness Note: Naturalized or invasive throughout the Midwest.
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
Native Alternatives:
WILD COMFREY. Family: Forget-me-not, Borage (Boraginaceae). Genus: Cynoglossum (C. virginianum). Height: 1–2 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Numerous pale blue, violet, or white May and June flowers similar to a forget-me-not. Large hairy leaves clasp hairy stems. Cultivation: Sun/light shade. Moist, medium soil and tolerates dry shade. Note: Extirpated in parts of the Midwest. Nature Note: Hosts the gray hairstreak butterfly (Strymon melinus). Attracts adult butterflies of several species.
Wild comfrey (Cynoglossum virginianum var. boreale)
Gray hairstreak butterfly (Strymon melinus)
More Native Alternatives:
GREEK VALERIAN, p. 10; HOARY PUCCOON, p. 36; NORTHERN BEDSTRAW, p. 20; ROCKCRESS, p. 20; VIRGINIA BLUEBELLS, p. 18; VIRGINIA WATERLEAF, p. 48; WILD BLUE PHLOX, p. 38; WILD GERANIUM, p. 47.
Nonnative:
CROCUS. Family: Iris (Iridaceae). Genus: Crocus (C. luteus). Origin: Middle East, Mediterranean. Holland is famous for exporting Dutch or giant crocus (C. vernus) and snow crocus (C. Tommasinianius, C. chrysanthus) that originated in the Middle East. Height: 2–12 inches. Ornamental Attributes: Yellow, white, lavender, purple flowers bloom briefly in March, April. Cultivation: Sun/light shade. Welldrained soil. Ephemerals die when mowed before the leaves naturally die. Overcrowding causes decline. Nature Note: Squirrels, deer, chipmunks, mice, rabbits, skunks (in search of insects, worms, and organic fertilizers), voles, and birds dig up crocuses and some of these animals eat the corms/bulbs. Gardeners combat this with homemade and commercial repellents, protective barriers, plastic owls, and other ingenious deterrents.
Crocus (Crocus luteus)
Native Alternatives:
AMERICAN PASQUEFLOWER, WILD CROCUS, BLUE TULIP. Family: Buttercup (Ranunculaceae). Genus: Pulsatilla (P. patens) (formerly included in the genus Anemone). Height: 2–12 inches. Ornamental Attributes: Considered to be harbingers of spring. Large, delicate orange-centered blue-violet, sometimes white, flowers from March to May. Feathery seed heads. Hairy stems and leaves protect the plants from chilly early spring weather. “These are one of the first and most spectacular prairie flowers of spring.”25 Cultivation: Sun. Well-drained, dry to medium soil. (Best in sandy soil.) Nature Note: Bees eagerly seek the pollen produced by these early blooming flowers. The foliage does not interest mammalian herbivores.
PRAIRIE SMOKE, LONG-PLUMED PURPLE AVENS, OLD MAN’S WHISKERS. Family: Rose (Rosaceae). Genus: Geum (G. triflorum). Height: 4–16 inches. Ornamental Attributes: Showy, nodding pink to reddishpurple flowers in May, June. Feathery plumed fruits. Evergreen leaves turn red in fall. Cultivation: Sun, light shade. Dry to average garden soil. Note: Threatened in parts of the Midwest. Nature Note: The flowers look as though they are still in bud stage, so small bees crawl inside to get the nectar and pollen. As an early-flowering plant, it is an important food source for insects emerging from hibernation. See Lewis and Clark note in the appendix.
American pasqueflower (Pulsatilla
