Learn

Short answers to the questions behind a plant page. Each one ends with something to do next.

• Is this plant native here?

  Native here means a flora or atlas for your state lists it as native. A plant can be native to the United States and still not native to your state.

• What does its natural habitat tell me?

  Where a plant grows wild is a clue to the water, drainage, light and rock it is used to. It is not a rule for your yard. Start with water: is your spot wet, dry or in between?

• What does this plant do for wildlife?

  Caterpillars eat the leaves of host plants; adults drink nectar from many flowers. Caterpillars also feed nesting birds.

Reviewed 2026-10-16. Examples chosen by rule from Virginia data.