#ruby spotted swallowtail

[mogai-sunflowers]

if you were able to keep as many birds as you wanted and like, all their habitats were perfect and maintained and the laws all allowed it and everything, how many birds would you have and what species??

wooooooooooo baby i wish i could upload pictures of all of them but there's a limit of 30 per post and that's nowhere near enough adfasfasdf. soooooo here's the official list of all of my favorite birds!

blue jay, eurasian jay, stellers jay, black collared jay, azure jay, northern cardinal, vermillion cardinal, desert cardinal, pileated woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, red bellied woodpecker, eastern bluebird, mountain bluebird, gold finch, blue finch, scarlet finch, strawberry finch, rose finches, zebra finch, purple breasted sunbird, violet backed starling, blue vanga, blue dacnis, grandala, indigo bunting, lazuli bunting, rositas bunting, varied bunting, variegated fairy wren, splendid fairy wren, superb fairy wren, white winged fairy wren, philippine fairy bluebird, asian fairy bluebird, taiwan blue magpie, himalayan monal, tui, ravens, crows, blue crowned pigeon, victorian crowned pigeon, american robin, pink robin, lilac-breasted roller, european roller, indian roller, flying roller, blue-bellied roller, malachite kingfisher, woodlands kingfisher, azure kingfisher, rose-crested fruit dove, superb fruit dove, dracula parrot, hyacinth macaw, blue bird of paradise, anna's hummingbird, swordbilled hummingbird, swallowtailed hummingbird, fiery-throated hummingbird, lesser violetear, crowned woodnymph, blue chinned sapphire, mute swan, black swan, black-necked swan, bohemian waxwing, spangled cotinga, banded cotinga, brazilian tanager, australian diamond firetail, flame bowerbird, asian golden weaver, golden pheasant, malayan peacock pheasant, south philippine dwarf kingfisher, guineafowl, green junglefowl, blue-grey tanager, malachite sunbird, great sapphirewing, ruby-topaz hummingbird, fiery topaz, crimson topaz, rainbow bearded thornbill, violet sabrewing, long-tailed sylph, red-tailed comet, variable sunbird, helmeted woodpecker, red-crested cardinal, blue-winged mountain tanager, cinnamon hummingbird, antillean crested hummingbird, violet capped woodnymph, sparkling violetear, blue pitta, mandarin duck

[fullmetalwendigo]

Ruby-spotted swallowtail.

[bungerc0re]

Ruby-spotted swallowtail butterfly, and a really pretty one at that!

oh hey question is anyone here good at identifying bugs. a cool butterfly showed up at my house earlier and i forgot i took some pics of her ☝️

[onenicebugperday]

Ruby-spotted swallowtail, Papilio anchisiades, Papilionidae, plus caterpillars in defensive formations

Found from Mexico down through South America

Photo 1 by davisgunn, 2 by prmck, 3 by hhulsberg, 4 by luciano_bernardes, 5-6 by Frupus, 7 by luisguillermog, 8-9 by stevenw12339, and 10 by lucareptile

[butterfly-and-moth-species]

Papilio anchisiade

Papilio anchisiade - Ruby spotted swallowtail

Family: Papilionidae

[mothsperhour]

All prepared and ready to pin onto a board. 

Tarricina Longwing (Tithorea tarricina)

Ruby-Spotted Swallowtail (Papilio anchisiades)

Jazzy Leafwing (Hypna clytemnestra)

[vynive]

Two different species of butterfly mating! I've also observed both homosexual and necrophilic behavior in our butterflies, those sexual deviants.

[so-many-crushes]

Howdy Khourey! I wanted to stop by and say thank you for your sweet words on my butterfly wings art with Graves, you're very kind✨🧡!!

When you feel inspired, I'd love to know what butterfly or moth wing you'd pick to represent yourself and your f/o of choice :D

Tex @tex-treasures

Thank you so much! That's really kind of you! @tex-treasures

I've put my answers below because I ended up picking a few f/os! Also I'm not taking gender (bug or f/o) into accout either <3 This was very fun and I suggest everyone think about what kind of bug wings you and your f/os would have

(TW for bugs (Moths and butterflies))

Matt Murdock - Mycalesis oculus

Lily Lord (Daredevil s/i) - Mourning Cloak Butterfly

Eddie Munson - Death's-head hawkmoth

Robin Buckley - Hybrid Luna Moth

Steve Harrington - Small Emperor Moth

Melody Vaughn (@cherrypieships Stranger Things s/i) - Ruby-spotted swallowtail

Alice Hopper (Stranger Things s/i) - Madagascan Sunset Moth

Shōta Aizawa - Common buckeye butterfly

Sakura Miyazaki (BNHA s/i) - Anaea Tyrianthina

[mistsandshards]

What Would Magnus Bane Wear? — 1878 Edition

A look at Magnus Bane's fashion in The Infernal Devices:

Clockwork Angel

[Tessa] whirled and saw that a tall man had appeared just behind her, as soundlessly as if he had drifted there like smoke. He wore an elaborate brocade jacket, like something out of the previous century, with a riot of white lace at his collar and cuffs. Below the long jacket Tessa glimpsed knee breeches, and high buckled shoes. His hair was like rough black silk, so dark it had a bluish sheen to it; his skin was brown, the cast of his features like Jem’s. She wondered if perhaps, like Jem, he was of foreign extraction. In one ear he sported a silver loop from which dangled a diamond pendant the size of a finger, which sparkled brilliantly under the lights, and there were diamonds set into the head of his silver walking stick. He seemed to gleam all over, like witchlight. Tessa stared; she had never seen anyone dressed in such a mad fashion.

Clockwork Prince

Magnus stood beside the circle, a book open in his hands; his old-fashioned cravat was loosened, and his black hair stood up wildly about his face as if charged with electricity.

He was wearing all black, with no other ornamentation save on his hands. Each finger bore a ring set with a huge stone of a different color—lemon yellow citrine, green jade, red ruby, blue topaz.

Clockwork Princess

There were footsteps in the corridor behind Woolsey, and Magnus appeared in full evening dress, as if he had just come from a ball. Starched white shirtfront and cuffs, swallowtail black coat, and hair like a ragged fringe of dark silk.

Magnus stood, looking indifferent, in a charcoal-gray suit. He was slowly rolling his gloves, dark gray kid, off his thin brown hands.

The doors of the Institute had opened, and Magnus had emerged. He wore an astrakhan wool greatcoat, and his tall silk hat was already being spotted by the falling snowflakes.

See also:

What Would Magnus Bane Wear? — 18th Century Edition

[firelord-frowny]

kinda re: that last reblog,

my yard is the Hot Spot for neighborhood wildlife and it is 100% because of my mom's eight gardens. EIGHT! GARDENS! Eight gardens, and six trees, five of which are fully mature. And in combination with the fact that our property borders what's basically the last sliver of forest left in the neighborhood.

And as much as I would rather not have a lawn at all, I'm grateful at least for the way my mom's eight mature gardens and five mature trees and one baby tree provides food and shelter for soooooooo much wildlife, most of which is native to the region. Like, the biodiversity in my yard is amaaaazing. we've got

birds - red shouldered hawks - barred owls - american robins - carolina wrens - black capped chickadees - cedar waxwings - mourning doves - brown headed cowbirds - ruby throated hummingbirds - mockingbirds - gray catbirds - goldfinches - bluejays - northern flickers - downy woodpeckers - red headed woodpeckers - red bellied woodpeckers - fish crows

reptiles - eastern box turtles (WHICH ARE ENDANGERED IN THE REGIOOONNN) - black rat snakes - eastern(?) garter snakes - dekay's brown snakes - five lined skinks

arthropods - carolina mantises - wolf spiders - nursery web spiders - HELLA species of orb weavers - american funnel web spiders - wheel bugs - thread legged assassin bugs - leaf footed bugs - hellaaaa leaf hoppers - cicadas - robber flies - like five different kinds of paper wasps - like four different kinds of yellowjackets, including bald faced hornets - honeybees (not native but ok whatever) - eastern bumble bees - american bumble bees - carpenter bees - cuckoo wasps - various ichneumon wasps - four toothed mason wasps - black and yellow mud daubers and other thread-waisted wasps - four spotted velvet ants - hella species of skipper butterflies - tiger swallowtails and black swallowtails - red spotted purple admirals - red admirals - common buckeyes - hella grass moths - saturniid moths sometimes - HELLA dragonflies mammals - white-tailed deer (although their overpopulation [WHICH IS PEOPLE'S FAULT] kinda makes their presence Not Exactly A Great Thing) - groundhogs - cottontail rabbits - eastern gray squirrels - red foxes (which are also not necessarily great because their population increase is kinda the result of the DECREASE in the gray fox population, which is a result of habitat destruction, but still, red foxes are native to the region and have a right to be here) - bats! i have absolutely no means of finding out what species they are, but they're bats and i love them <3

And it's soooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOO gratifying to actually see these creatures using the gardens and the things that grow in them. There are big bushes that birds build nests in every single year. There are trees where spiders are guaranteed to snag a meal when they build their webs between their favorite branches. Each species of bird has carved out its own lil territory for foraging. The small animals alert each other to the presence of the hawks when they hang out on their favorite perch high up on a dead tree. Bald faced hornets chase intruders away from their preferred food sources. mason bees gnaw holes in the wood of dead or dying trees and lay their eggs inside. The deer feel safe enough to leave their babies up on the hill under the cherry blossom tree.

It's soooooo beautiful, all the things that happen around you when there's more than just grass and maybe an ornamental tree in your yard.

[notsodeepsnowflake]

I decided since no one has done this, I will.

It’s my first time and I went with everyone’s favorite color and how I think it fits their personality as a whole :’) These butterflies are pretty just like the boys.

Jin/Pink- Ruby Spotted Swallowtail (I could hardly find a butterfly that was pink and not another butterfly just colored over to be pink...but in almost all of the pictues of this one the coloring looks pink)

Rap Monster/Black and White- Common Mime (I think that no other black and white butterfly fits him more because while they’re called common...they’re both extremely beautiful. ((I’ve seen peple call him comon or ugly)))

J-Hope/Green- Tailed Jay (I chose this butterfly for J-hope because it looks electric and bright just like our ray of sunshine. Enough said about it)

Jimin/Blue and Black- Blue Morpho (I chose this butterfly beacause of it’s stunning beauty just like the stunning beauty of Jimin. They fit perfectly together in my opinion.)

V/Green and Black- Emerald Swallowtail (I chose this butterfly because as soon as I saw it I just knew it was him. It’s larger and just looks like V as a butterfly)

Jungkook/Red and Black- Scarlet Peacock (As if the name didn’t give it away, I chose this butterfly because, like a peacock, Jungkoook loves showing us his talents and how strong he is, quite a bit like a peacock)

Suga/White- White Morpho (This one was also a bit harder to do, because all of the white butterflies didn’t fit him very well, until I saw this one. It’s a knockout beauty just like Suga.)

[onenicebugperday]

Hello can you tell me what's the name of this beauty i really would like to know, she/he left later i think that maybe she was unfolding her wings.

Thanks for letting me know where you found this friend via IM :) It's a ruby-spotted swallowtail, Papilio anchisiades.

[jcarriez]

Zebra Swallowtail 斑马燕尾蝶 (Family Papilionidae, Swallowtails)

Zebra Swallowtail 斑马燕尾蝶 (Family Papilionidae, Swallowtails)

All over the east, the zebra swallowtail wings its way from blossom to blossom. It is a lover of gardens where it has the habit of lighting on some beautiful flower, then suddenly lifting up and cover a garden wall just as you think you are going to catch it. The strong wings marked indeed like a black and white zebra, but with two red spots like bright rubies near the tail end, carry the…

[wigmund]

From National Wildlife Federation Photo of the Week; February 6, 2017:

Arkansas Wildlife

National Wildlife's 46th annual Photo Contest is now open! Check out some of our favorite photos from past National Wildlife photo contests. Each week we'll celebrate nature and wildlife from a different state. This week we're featuring Arkansas wildlife!

Photo Above: Bird Photographer Stephen Patten photographed this White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) by a roadside along the Little Buffalo River in Parthenon, Arkansas. The Missouri resident used a Canon 7D with a 300mm f/2.8 lens and 1.4x teleconverter. Read National Wildlife's Urban Wildlife Bounty.

Photographer Cara Litberg made this image of a Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, after "seeing a blur run across the road," she "spotted this beauty watching from the brush." The Illinois resident used a Canon XSi with a 300mm f/4 lens. Read National Wildlife's Starlight Hunter, dazzling images of the nocturnal gray fox.

Tammy Eckerle writes, "I was fishing one early morning on the White River in Cotter, Arkansas, when I spotted a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) waiting patiently in the morning fog." The Missouri resident used a Nikon camera. Read Ranger Rick's Great Blue Herons.

Photographer Eilish Palmer made this image of "Man and Milky Way" in Arkansas's Ozark National Forest using a Canon 7D with an 11-14 f/2.8 ultrawide zoom lens on a tripod.

Jeremy Smith photographed an Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica) in Florence, Arkansas, using a Canon XSi camera. Read National Wildlife's Being There for Native Bees.

Dari Hughes "shot this photo of a Central Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens louisianensis) in its juvenile stage as it crawled over some moss," in Independence County, Arkansas. The Arkansas resident used a Sony DSC-H2 camera.

Nature photographer Clifton Brown writes, "These wild Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) have grown in an area of our yard we decided to let grow naturally, and in turn attracted beautiful butterflies like this Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)." The Arkansas resident used a Canon 450D with a 75-300mm f/5.6 lens. Read National Wildlife's Catering to Butterfly Royalty.

Photographer Melissa Jones photographed "the end of the sunset from Sunset Point in Mount Nebo State Park, Arkansas, featured this beautiful burst of orange and pink." The Arkansas resident used a Nikon D7000 with a 10-24mm lens.

Dari Hughes photographed this portrait of an Eastern Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus virginianus) "sitting atop a limestone mound, probably waiting for its next meal to emerge from the many rock crevasses," at an old limestone quarry in central Arkansas. The Arkansas resident used a Sony DSC-H2 camera.

Nature photographer Angela Peace made this image of a Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) wildflower "tightly closed because of the cold temperature on an early spring morning." The Arkansas resident used a Nikon D200 with a 105mm micro lens.

Nature photographer Clifton Brown "caught this female Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) among the flowers just sitting quietly, which they seldom do, like it was watching over everything. So I call this photo 'Keeper of the Blooms'." The Arkansas resident used a Canon 450d with a 75-300mm f/10 lens. Read National Wildlife's Tips for Photographing Hummingbirds.

Christina Garrett "took this shot of a baby Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) grazing passing through Boxley Valley, Arkansas." The Arkansas resident used a Canon Rebel T3i with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.

Ashley Davis made this image of canoers stopped to enjoy the scenery along the bluffs of the Buffalo National River in Ponca, Arkansas. The Kansas resident used a Samsung HZ50W camera.

Doug Mitchell writes, "while visiting a local botanical garden in Fayetteville, Arkansas, I cam upon this robber fly perched on the edge of a hibiscus flower. The Arkansas resident used a Canon EOS Rebel T2i with a 55-250mm lens. Read National Wildlife's Creating a Garden Haven for Beneficial Bugs.

Lynda Hood photographed a wet Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) in her Conway, Arkansas, backyard habitat, playfully captioning her image, "does anyone have a hair dryer?" The Arkansas resident used a Nikon D3100 camera. Read National Wildlife's Listen to the Mockingbird.

Arkansas resident John Humphry made this image of a "pretty stream-side hideaway in the Ozarks on a cold fall morning" using a Canon 5D with a 28-200mm f/5.6 lens on a tripod.

More from the National Wildlife Federation:

About the Arkansas Wildlife Federation

Arkansas Wildlife Federation’s Ellen McNulty: Volunteer of the Year

NWF Blogs about Arkansas Wildlife

Arkansas Wildlife Federation's Facebook Page

Nature's Witnesses: Powerful images of wilderness can inspire conservation.

Nature and Wildlife Photography Tips Center

[elsielewi5]

Native Shrubs from Across America

The single biggest trend in gardening over the last couple of decades has been the growing of native plants. An interest in the environment, concerns about the spread of alien species – these things have made gardeners look again at plants from their own country to decorate their gardens. These are replacing some of the traditional plants used in gardens, which often come from around the world, introduced by home-sick Europeans or by plant collectors in previous centuries. Instead, they are choosing beautiful but often neglected plants that grow wild right here in America.

In a previous blog, Native Trees from the Four Corners of the Country, we look at some shade and flowering trees that bring native interest to any garden. This time around we will look at some shrubs that grow wild, perhaps in your state, perhaps somewhere else across the country. These plants are often better adapted to the climate and introduce natural ecology right into your garden, linking your home to the wild world around us. Many of these plants have great charm, and are easy to grow, so let’s get down to some native gardening.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Nearly everyone can recognize a hydrangea – or at least a Chinese one, usually called a mop-head hydrangea, with big, rounded heads of flowers in shades of pink, blue or white. Far fewer people realize that North America has several hydrangeas that grow wild in wooded areas around the country. From Florida to Louisiana, and up to North Carolina and Tennessee, you can find growing along streams a large shrub that is highly regarded as a garden plant in Europe, but much less so at home.

This is the Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia, which is especially notable for its large, lobed leaves that do indeed look a little like gigantic oak leaves. Unlike mop-heads, whose leaves turn boring brown and shrivel as soon as it turns cold, the Oakleaf Hydrangea puts on a brilliant fall show, with reds, purples and bronzy tones stealing the show. In summer it produces huge broad spikes of white blooms, as much as 12 inches long, making a great show. It grows into a large shrub, between 5 and 12 feet tall, and thrives in sun or shade – ideal for any spot in your garden. If you can find it, an improved selection called ‘Alice’ was introduced by the famous plantsman Michael Dirr, and this vigorous plant is certainly worth seeking out. Another colorful variety is called ‘Ruby Slippers’, which has flowers that begin white but quickly turn deep red. It too has colorful fall foliage. Easy to grow, especially if you have a good supply of water, the Oakleaf Hydrangea is a native shrub that deserves a place in every American garden.

American Cranberry Viburnum

Not a true cranberry at all, and much easier to grow, but also laden with edible red berries in the fall, this plant, Viburnum trilobum, is a great native addition to your garden, especially if you live in cold districts. It’s hardy all the way into chilly zone 2, so no need for winter protection for this handsome bush. It grows 8 to 12 feet tall, making it perfect for background planting, or as a very attractive informal boundary to your property. In spring it is covered with flat heads of small white flowers, looking very handsome against the fresh foliage, and then by fall, clusters of brilliant red berries develop, which look even better once the leaves fall. If you leave them your local birds will love you, but experiment, as the pioneers did, with some jams or pies, and you will benefit from free food too. As a bonus, this species – found all across the colder parts of North America – is more pest resistant that the European forms of Viburnum often found in garden centers.

Spice Bush

A very effective way to support local wildlife is to plant a Spice Bush. This plant is a specific food source for beautiful Swallowtail butterflies, so you will be helping those special insects to thrive. The price of a few chewed leaves is well worth it. Anyway, this handsome rounded shrub, called Lindera benzoin, is a perfect choice for those damp, shady parts of your garden, that are often hard to fill. It will grow in sun too, if the soil stays reasonably moist. In fall it turns glowing yellow, and in spring there are curious flowers with twisted yellow petals all along the branches. The Spice Bush doesn’t stop at being the perfect addition to any informal garden, it is useful too. As the name suggests, all parts are aromatic. Fresh leaves, or twigs in winter, make a pleasant tea. If you grow several you will get a crop of red berries (pick them as they ripen, or the birds will beat you to it) with a seed that tastes like all-spice. It’s a novel addition to spicy cakes, or as part of a barbecue rub. This bush grows wild all through the eastern states, and usually reaches 6 to 10 feet tall in gardens.

Oregon Grape

The fruits may look a little like grapes, and they do make a spicy substitute for grape jelly, so this is one more reason to grow a plant that is packed with terrific garden virtues. It has bold evergreen foliage, divided into spiny leaflets, and its glossy tone makes it stand out, even in the shady spots where it thrives, and where it is most useful as a garden plant. Called Mahonia aquifolium, and sometimes called ‘Grape Holly’, for its spiny leaves, it’s a native plant of real garden value. In spring bold sprays of yellow flowers appear, which turn into clusters of dusky-blue berries. Growing all across the northern states, this is another plant that is more admired outside the country than in it. Nothing else grows so well in shade, making a spreading mound about 3 feet tall, yet it is not so often seen in gardens. If you want to ‘go native’, this is an ideal way to start, because this tough plant will grow under adverse conditions, and even deer leave it strictly alone.

Button Bush

What better way to ‘button down’ this introduction to native shrubs than with the amazing Button Bush. If you think native plants are boring, then think again. The Button Bush, Cephalanthus occidentalis, grows wild along streams all the way from Florida to Nova Scotia, so it will grow in almost any garden. It does need moisture, but otherwise is totally undemanding, growing 5 to 10 feet tall over time. The big event is flowering, when all along the branches 1-inch wide balls of buds appear, opening into a floral explosion, with spiky flower-parts growing out in all directions like a sunburst. These are produced all summer long, and attract everyone, including native insects, as well as hummingbirds. So forget the plastic feeders, and plant a Button Bush instead. You will help preserve native plants and wildlife, as well as adding a real novelty plant to your garden display.

Native Shrubs from Across America published first on https://www.thetreecenter.com

[cameronf24]

Native Shrubs from Across America

The single biggest trend in gardening over the last couple of decades has been the growing of native plants. An interest in the environment, concerns about the spread of alien species – these things have made gardeners look again at plants from their own country to decorate their gardens. These are replacing some of the traditional plants used in gardens, which often come from around the world, introduced by home-sick Europeans or by plant collectors in previous centuries. Instead, they are choosing beautiful but often neglected plants that grow wild right here in America.

In a previous blog, Native Trees from the Four Corners of the Country, we look at some shade and flowering trees that bring native interest to any garden. This time around we will look at some shrubs that grow wild, perhaps in your state, perhaps somewhere else across the country. These plants are often better adapted to the climate and introduce natural ecology right into your garden, linking your home to the wild world around us. Many of these plants have great charm, and are easy to grow, so let’s get down to some native gardening.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Nearly everyone can recognize a hydrangea – or at least a Chinese one, usually called a mop-head hydrangea, with big, rounded heads of flowers in shades of pink, blue or white. Far fewer people realize that North America has several hydrangeas that grow wild in wooded areas around the country. From Florida to Louisiana, and up to North Carolina and Tennessee, you can find growing along streams a large shrub that is highly regarded as a garden plant in Europe, but much less so at home.

This is the Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia, which is especially notable for its large, lobed leaves that do indeed look a little like gigantic oak leaves. Unlike mop-heads, whose leaves turn boring brown and shrivel as soon as it turns cold, the Oakleaf Hydrangea puts on a brilliant fall show, with reds, purples and bronzy tones stealing the show. In summer it produces huge broad spikes of white blooms, as much as 12 inches long, making a great show. It grows into a large shrub, between 5 and 12 feet tall, and thrives in sun or shade – ideal for any spot in your garden. If you can find it, an improved selection called ‘Alice’ was introduced by the famous plantsman Michael Dirr, and this vigorous plant is certainly worth seeking out. Another colorful variety is called ‘Ruby Slippers’, which has flowers that begin white but quickly turn deep red. It too has colorful fall foliage. Easy to grow, especially if you have a good supply of water, the Oakleaf Hydrangea is a native shrub that deserves a place in every American garden.

American Cranberry Viburnum

Not a true cranberry at all, and much easier to grow, but also laden with edible red berries in the fall, this plant, Viburnum trilobum, is a great native addition to your garden, especially if you live in cold districts. It’s hardy all the way into chilly zone 2, so no need for winter protection for this handsome bush. It grows 8 to 12 feet tall, making it perfect for background planting, or as a very attractive informal boundary to your property. In spring it is covered with flat heads of small white flowers, looking very handsome against the fresh foliage, and then by fall, clusters of brilliant red berries develop, which look even better once the leaves fall. If you leave them your local birds will love you, but experiment, as the pioneers did, with some jams or pies, and you will benefit from free food too. As a bonus, this species – found all across the colder parts of North America – is more pest resistant that the European forms of Viburnum often found in garden centers.

Spice Bush

A very effective way to support local wildlife is to plant a Spice Bush. This plant is a specific food source for beautiful Swallowtail butterflies, so you will be helping those special insects to thrive. The price of a few chewed leaves is well worth it. Anyway, this handsome rounded shrub, called Lindera benzoin, is a perfect choice for those damp, shady parts of your garden, that are often hard to fill. It will grow in sun too, if the soil stays reasonably moist. In fall it turns glowing yellow, and in spring there are curious flowers with twisted yellow petals all along the branches. The Spice Bush doesn’t stop at being the perfect addition to any informal garden, it is useful too. As the name suggests, all parts are aromatic. Fresh leaves, or twigs in winter, make a pleasant tea. If you grow several you will get a crop of red berries (pick them as they ripen, or the birds will beat you to it) with a seed that tastes like all-spice. It’s a novel addition to spicy cakes, or as part of a barbecue rub. This bush grows wild all through the eastern states, and usually reaches 6 to 10 feet tall in gardens.

Oregon Grape

The fruits may look a little like grapes, and they do make a spicy substitute for grape jelly, so this is one more reason to grow a plant that is packed with terrific garden virtues. It has bold evergreen foliage, divided into spiny leaflets, and its glossy tone makes it stand out, even in the shady spots where it thrives, and where it is most useful as a garden plant. Called Mahonia aquifolium, and sometimes called ‘Grape Holly’, for its spiny leaves, it’s a native plant of real garden value. In spring bold sprays of yellow flowers appear, which turn into clusters of dusky-blue berries. Growing all across the northern states, this is another plant that is more admired outside the country than in it. Nothing else grows so well in shade, making a spreading mound about 3 feet tall, yet it is not so often seen in gardens. If you want to ‘go native’, this is an ideal way to start, because this tough plant will grow under adverse conditions, and even deer leave it strictly alone.

Button Bush

What better way to ‘button down’ this introduction to native shrubs than with the amazing Button Bush. If you think native plants are boring, then think again. The Button Bush, Cephalanthus occidentalis, grows wild along streams all the way from Florida to Nova Scotia, so it will grow in almost any garden. It does need moisture, but otherwise is totally undemanding, growing 5 to 10 feet tall over time. The big event is flowering, when all along the branches 1-inch wide balls of buds appear, opening into a floral explosion, with spiky flower-parts growing out in all directions like a sunburst. These are produced all summer long, and attract everyone, including native insects, as well as hummingbirds. So forget the plastic feeders, and plant a Button Bush instead. You will help preserve native plants and wildlife, as well as adding a real novelty plant to your garden display.

Native Shrubs from Across America posted first on https://www.thetreecenter.com