Sister series to First Friday Fauna, our Flora on the Sound series originally ran every last Monday of the month from April–December on the Long Island Sound Study’s social media. This series highlights one plant native to Long Island Sound monthly, shedding some sun on the plant’s history and preferred growing environments. Whether you live in New York or Connecticut, here are lists of plants that will thrive in your area.
A native perennial that has a showy, long lasting late summer flower, goldenrods thrive along the coast, growing in sandy, windy and salty conditions. It does not require any fertilizer, is not invasive, and is a pollinator magnet for bees and the migrating monarch butterfly. It is a myth that goldenrods cause hay fever. The allergic reaction is actually caused by wind borne pollen from ragweed, a native plant that flowers at the same time.
The beauty of this native shrub’s flowers is hard to beat: clusters of soft pink petals surround five long, curled, deep pink stamens-making them attractive to both hummingbirds and butterflies. The flowers emerge before the leaves, and always seem to disappear too soon. The Pinxterbloom Azalea is native to moist woods, wetland margins and open areas from MA to South Carolina along the east coast. When given its favored conditions of moist, well-drained and acidic soils in dappled shade, this slow-growing plant can grow into a dense, suckering shrub. While many cultivated varieties of azaleas are susceptible to insect and disease problems, this native has better resistance. It doesn’t like being overwatered or over-fertilized, making it well suited to coastal gardens and landscapes. Its nectar and pollen is mildly toxic. Honey made predominately from its flowers produces “mad honey” (or in France, “crazy honey”). Used in places such as Turkey and Nepal as a traditional medicine, this dark, reddish honey has an interesting place in history, particularly as a tool of warfare in Roman times. Mad honey was provided to enemy soldiers, who, once intoxicated, were slain. Fewer accounts come from the states, although in 18th century Pennsylvania the honey was known to be added to liquor and sold as mead.
Come June, the Virginia Sweetspire is in full bloom in coastal Connecticut – adorned with luscious dangling spires of creamy white, slightly fragrant flowers that the bees are relishing. Its elliptical leaves are arranged alternately on smooth stems that have a hint of red. By fall those leaves will turn a deep cranberry red, adding a second season of interest to this shrub. Sweetspire is at home in moist soils, making it a good choice for rain gardens or as part of a riparian buffer (where its spreading habit can check erosion). It can naturally expand into a thicket by growing outward along the ground, making it good for naturalizing in the dappled sunlight of a wooded edge or group of trees. Mine grow as a foundation planting, facing east, in good garden soil – it needs at least four hours of sun a day for good flowering. These plants grow from 3 to 6 feet tall; a popular, more compact cultivar is ‘Henry’s Garnet’. Virginia Sweetspire is naturally occurring south of the Long Island Sound area but grows well in the warming climate of the Connecticut coast. It is a tolerant and versatile plant with few pests, only passing interest from deer, and once established does not want to be fertilized (a good choice for our shoreline landscapes). It can be pruned after flowering to keep it in check, and older plants can be rejuvenated by removing the oldest, thickest stems.
Somehow the thought of coastal vegetation doesn’t conjure up the image of a plant in the cactus family. But the coastal lands around Long Island Sound do, indeed, host a plant more familiar on a postcard from the desert southwest. The prickly pear cactus, Opuntia humifusa, grows in sandy soils – beaches, dunes, but also grasslands and rocky outcrops further inland and is naturally occurring along the Atlantic coast from the Florida Keys to coastal Massachusetts. Even without its lovely late spring flower this plant is no doubt a cactus. It sports the low-growing pear-shaped, waxy pads that host needle-like spines and less visible (but infuriatingly persistent once touched with a finger or gardening glove) tiny clusters of barbed bristles, referred to, appropriately, as “wooly hairs”. These likely are the reason this plant is also called Devil’s Tongue. The prickly pear is considered uncommon and therefore of special concern in Connecticut; it is listed as “apparently secure” in New York, but this plant is vulnerable to “horticultural collecting” and should be left untouched in the wild (the wooly hairs should help with that). Thought to be pollinated largely by local bees, the flower, though short-lived, is large and a magical, shimmering yellow. It will produce the characteristic red fruits at the tip of the cactus pads that are made into candies and jams where this plant is more common. This cactus is available from nurseries, although it is not common. It is drought and salt tolerant and those barbs make it pretty resistant. This plant doesn’t ask for much – once established it doesn’t require supplemental water or fertilizer, but it won’t tolerate shade for long. Even if you’re not interested in this plant for your home landscape, knowing that we have a local cactus is what makes our natural environs so unique and interesting.
Common milkweed because of its importance to the Monarch butterfly – our iconic large orange and black butterfly that you may be seeing right about now , drifting about. But less well known is that this plant is a virtual super – store for over 450 insects . It’s not uncommon to find flies, beetles, ants, bees, wasps and other butterflies – often at the same time when the flowers are in bloom. The Common Milkweed is a tall, 2-3ft perennial with opposite, near-elliptical leaves and clusters of globe – shaped pink flowers that have a strong, sweet scent. The giveaway for this plant is its white milky sap that is quick to exude from any cut surface, and the iconic seed pods that, when mature, split open to unleash legions of seeds, each with a white fluffy parasol for transport by the breeze. Milkweed plants are widespread: there are 115 different species of them in the Americas (24 species are used by monarch butterflies in the eastern US). Like so many of our native flowers, the Common Milkweed eschews fertilizer and can tolerate poor soils and little water once established. And that’s good for all of our over – burdened waterbodies both inland and, ultimately, Lo ng Island Sound. From a gardening perspective, this plant can be challenging: it spreads by robust underground runners that complement more naturalistic gardens that have the space to accommodate them. If that sounds like your garden (or you’re looking for a plant to help reduce your hungry lawn), this is a great consideration and is endlessly entertaining in flower. It is also, because of its sap, both deer and rabbit resistant.
The native Salt Marsh Elder shrub (Baccharis halmifolia) is common to the coast but surprisingly unfamiliar to many coastal residents. This time of year, it is loaded with pollinating insects (including Monarchs) clambering over its abundant inconspicuous flowers. Once seeds appear they rely on the wind to disperse, and are topped with feathery features, called achenes, that make this bush stunning by late fall. Baccharis is fast growing, reaching heights of three to ten feet, and is tolerant of the toughest circumstances that the shoreline offers: wind, salt spray, brackish water, poor soil and alternately wet and dry conditions. This makes it an ideal plant for naturalizing in tough places along the coast and brackish river shorelines; it can also be used in rain gardens, pond edges and to help retain soil on slopes. Salt Marsh Elder is dioecious: it needs both the male and female plant to produce seed. Because it can be an aggressive spreader – good for wildlife and stabilizing the soil – if you don’t want it to spread you can plant either male or female (one without the other). Not often seen in local nurseries, it can be grown from seed collected in late fall.
In October, its leaves are a brilliant orange-yellow, and if you look closely you may see the unique, spidery yellow flowers and seed capsules clustered along its branches. The common witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana, or American witch hazel, grows wild from Nova Scotia to central Florida, although eastern Connecticut has been the epicenter of witch hazel growth and harvesting since the mid nineteenth century. Genuine Witch Hazelbark and twigs are distilled to produce a mild astringent with multiple applications: treatment of minor wounds and skin irritations, as a skin toner, and as a natural deodorant. The Reverend Thomas Newton Dickenson opened the first witch hazel distillery in1866 in Essex, Connecticut. The product is still sold today. There are two North American natives–the common (or American) witch hazel and the vernal witch hazel, which is smaller. This plant prefers semi-shaded locations, rich moist soil and good drainage, but once established can accommodate a wider range of conditions. It is relatively problem-free (persistent wet will precipitate powdery mildew, and aphids can be an occasional nuisance). Consider this unique and interesting native shrub for your native landscape.
November’s flora is the native asters marked by their predominantly purple flowers that herald the fall season. While cultivars offer a range of bloom colors—from white to pale blue, rose, and violet—our true natives provide these hues along with vital support for local ecosystems. As keystone species, asters sustain wildlife at the end of the growing season, offering pollen and nectar to bees, moths, butterflies, and beetles, while birds, rabbits, and mice that eat their seeds and leaves. A revision in taxonomy has made keeping up with botanic names a bit of a challenge, but most North American native asters are in two genera: Symphyotrichum and Eurybria. They are not difficult to grow, most preferring full sun and well-drained soils, and they pair well with other late season native bloomers. The New England Aster grows 3 to 4 feet tall, adding vibrant late-season color with violet-purple flowers while the White Wood Aster, though less showy, is perfect for dry shade with heart-shaped green leaves and long-lasting white blooms. Our native wildflowers offer, in addition to their beauty and support for wildlife, the opportunity to have gardens that are well-adjusted to our native habitats and therefore, once established, don’t require inputs of fertilizer, water, and pesticides. This makes them a Long Island Sound-friendly choice!
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