Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia)
Harebell
Sometimes mistaken for creeping bellflower, harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) is a native perennial wildflower found in Wisconsin and across much of North America. It thrives in a variety of sunlit environments, including rocky outcroppings along rivers, meadows, and prairies. Despite its fragile appearance, harebell is well-adapted to dry, sandy, and gravelly soils, making it a common sight in rugged landscapes.
It grows up to 20 inches tall, with thin, wiry stems that support its nodding, bell-shaped flowers. Each flower is less than an inch long and consists of five fused petals, forming a soft, pale bloom that sways gently in the breeze. The basal leaves are round, measuring between half an inch to one inch wide, while the upper leaves are grass-like, reaching about three inches in length and only 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide. These leaves alternate along the stem, contributing to the plant’s airy and delicate structure.
In garden settings, harebell is an excellent choice for rock gardens, borders, and naturalized landscapes. It thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers well-drained soils. Once established, it requires minimal maintenance, as it is resistant to deer and drought. Its long blooming period, from late spring to early autumn, ensures a continuous display of delicate flowers throughout the growing season.
Harebell’s historical and cultural significance adds to its charm. In folklore, it has been associated with fairies and enchantment, earning names such as "witch’s thimble" and "bluebell of Scotland." Despite its whimsical reputation, it remains a tough and adaptable plant, capable of thriving in challenging conditions. (LS)
Purplestem Angelica (Angelica atropururea)
Purplestem Angelica
Purple-stemmed Angelica (Angelica atropurpurea) is a perennial native to eastern and central North America—including Wisconsin. It can grow up to ten feet tall. Its flowers are small, only about a quarter inch across, but they bloom in large umbrella-like clusters called umbels that span 8 to 10 inches wide. The flowers are typically white to greenish-white and bloom from late spring into summer. The leaves are compound and can reach up to 24 inches in both length and width. Each leaflet grows to about 4.5 inches long and 2.5 inches wide, with a toothed, oval shape. The stems are hollow, smooth, and purple. They are typically 1 to 2 inches thick. Purple-stemmed Angelica prefers moist to wet soils that are rich and well-drained, with a slightly acidic to neutral pH. It thrives in full sun to partial shade and is most commonly found in marshes, wet meadows, and along streambanks, especially where the soil has some lime content.
Ecologically, purple angelica—as a member of the carrot family—plays a valuable role in supporting biodiversity. Like many other Apiaceae species, it features umbels of flowers that are especially attractive to a wide range of pollinators, including bees and flies. While specific larval host associations for purple angelica remain under-documented, related species in the family are known to support caterpillars of butterflies and moths. By offering nectar, pollen, and shelter, purple angelica contributes to the ecological richness of the wetland environments where it thrives.
In the garden, purple-stemmed Angelica can be a striking ornamental, especially in rain gardens or near water features. It offers height, interesting structure, and purple stems that contrast beautifully with its blooms. It’s generally deer-resistant and supports pollinators. While it may only live a few years as a biennial or short-lived perennial, it can reseed naturally if conditions are right. (LS)
Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum)
Cow parsnip
Cow parsnip, or Heracleum maximum, is a wildflower native to North America, including Wisconsin. It can reach heights of 4 to 10 feet. It bears large, flat-topped clusters of small white flowers, with each cluster—or umbel—spanning 4 to 12 inches across. Each tiny flower is about a quarter inch wide, with larger ones often framing the edges of the cluster in a lacy display. Its leaves are massive and divided into three parts, with the largest basal leaves stretching up to 18 inches long and wide; their surfaces are softly hairy and toothed at the edges. The stem is thick, hollow, ridged, and covered in fine white hairs, measuring up to 2 inches in diameter. This plant thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers moist soils, commonly growing along streambanks, forest edges, and damp meadows. While striking, cow parsnip contains sap that can irritate the skin when exposed to sunlight—making it beautiful, but best admired at a respectful distance. Beyond its striking appearance, cow parsnip plays a key ecological role by supporting pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and beetles with its abundant nectar and pollen. (LS)
Sessile-leaf Bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia)
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Sessile-leaf bellwort is a delicate woodland wildflower that grows between 4 to 12 inches tall. It produces drooping, pale yellow flowers about an inch long, with six slightly curved petals. The plant's leaves are up to 3 inches long and 1 inch wide, attaching directly to the stem without stalks, while the main stem forks near the top, giving it a distinctive zig-zag growth pattern. The lower stem is sheathed, and as it matures, the upper portion takes on a reddish-purple hue. This species thrives in moist, rich, acidic soils with good drainage and prefers shade to partial shade. It naturally spreads through underground stolons, making it well suited to shaded forests and thickets where it forms small colonies in undisturbed areas. (LS)
American Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
American fly honeysuckle is a flowering, deciduous shrub that typically reaches a height of 24 to 72 inches. Its light yellow, tubular flowers bloom in late spring, appearing in pairs and measuring about ½ to ¾ inch long. The leaves are simple, light green, and range from 1½ to 3½ inches in length, growing in opposite pairs along the branches. The shrub’s stems are loosely branched, with light brown to brownish-gray bark, while its twigs can vary from green to purplish. This honeysuckle thrives in moist, well-drained soils but can tolerate rocky or gravelly conditions. It prefers partial shade to full sun, making it adaptable to different environments. It is commonly found in shady woodlands, stream banks, forest edges, and rich understory areas. (LS)
Seneca Snakeroot (Polygala senega)
Seneca snakeroot, or Polygala senega, is a perennial herb that grows between 10 to 18 inches tall. Its flowers are arranged in spike-like racemes at the tip of the stem, with each flower measuring about 1/6 inch long and featuring white to greenish-white petals with a fringed crest. The leaves range from 1 to 3 inches long and 1/3 to 1 1/3 inch wide, appearing linear to lance-elliptic and widest at or below the middle, with a hairless or minutely hairy surface. This plant thrives in full or partial sun and prefers dry to mesic conditions with sandy or rocky soil. Seneca snakeroot is commonly found in prairies, stream banks, and woodland openings, particularly in areas with well-drained soils.
Senega snakeroot has traditionally been used as a cure for snakebite by native Americans. It was used for earaches, toothaches, sore throats, croup and colds. Its main use today is as an expectorant in cough syrups, teas and lozenges, and as a gargle for sore throats. It has also been used in larger doses as an emetic and cathartic. To propagate from seed requires cold stratification for 60 days before planting, and shows a 60 - 80 percent germination rate. It can also be propagated from cuttings. (LS)
Shining Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes lucida)
Photo by Jeff Nesta
Spiranthes lucida, commonly known as shining lady’s tresses, is a perennial orchid native to northeastern North America, including Wisconsin. It typically grows up to 15 inches tall and produces white flowers in a spiral arrangement along a single spike, each featuring a yellow lip. The basal leaves are lance-oblong and remain during flowering.
The species blooms from late May to early July and fruits by mid-July. It inhabits saturated, calcareous soils in places such as streambanks, fens, river terraces, and old quarries. Its range extends from Nova Scotia to northeastern Wisconsin, and south to Virginia, Arkansas, and Missouri.
Pollination is primarily carried out by short-tongued bees, particularly from the Halictidae family. In some regions, including Wisconsin, it is listed as a species of special concern due to habitat sensitivity. (LS)
Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii)
Photo by Jeff Nesta
Bottle Gentian is a Wisconsin native, perennial wildflower. It typically grows to a height of one to two feet and spreads about one to 1-1/2 feet wide. Its unique flowers are one to 1-1/2 inches long, tubular, and bottle-shaped, usually deep blue to violet in color, and remain closed even when mature. The leaves are up to four inches long and two inches wide, ovate to lanceolate in shape, tapering to a pointed tip, and arranged in opposite pairs along the stem. They attach directly to the stem without stalks and have smooth or slightly fringed edges with shiny, hairless upper surfaces. Bottle Gentian thrives in moist, rich soils and prefers part shade to full sun, commonly found in moist prairies, stream sides, floodplain forests, thickets, fens, and other swampy areas near water. (SF)
Sawtooth Sunflower (Helianthus grosseserratus)
Photo by Gary Kurtz
Sawtooth Sunflower is a native, perennial wildflower. It can grow up to 12 feet tall. It bears bright yellow, daisy-like flowers that measure 2-1/2 to four inches across. The flowers are composed of 10 to 20 ray petals that surround a center disk of small, tubular florets. These blooms are held in loose clusters at the end of branching stems. It has smooth stems that are reddish to reddish-purple. The leaves are lanceolate and can range from four to 12 inches long and one to four inches wide. The lower leaves are usually opposite and the upper leaves are alternate. The upper surface of the leaves is medium to dark green and rough in texture while the lower surface is pale green and softly hairy. The edges have sawtooth-like edges. It prefers full sun and well drained soils. Sawtooth Sunflowers can be found in prairies, meadows, and along roadsides. (SF)
Canadian Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
Photo by Gary Kurtz
Canadian goldenrod is a herbaceous perennial that can grow up to 6 feet tall. Its small, vibrant yellow flowers form large clusters at the top of the stem, with each cluster reaching up to 5 inches long. The flowers bloom from late summer to early fall, attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies. The stems are erect and rigid, covered with fine hairs towards the top and mostly smooth lower down, ranging from 2 to 6 feet in height. The leaves are alternate on the stem, lanceolate to broad-linear in shape, and range from 2 to 5 inches long and about 1 inch wide. The margins can be sharply serrated or slightly serrated with small teeth. The upper side of the leaves is medium green with small white hairs, while the underside is smooth and light green. Canadian goldenrod thrives in moist soil with medium texture and moderate levels of organic matter, commonly found in damp meadows, along waterways, and in ditches along roadsides and railroads. (SF)
Cream Gentian (Gentiana alba)
Photo by Judith Kozminski
Cream Gentian typically grows to a height of 2 to 3 feet. Its tube-shaped flowers, which are about 1-1/2 inches long and 3/4 inch across, can be white, greenish-white, or yellowish-white, with five petals that have small erect tips. The leaves are opposite, strongly clasp the central stem, and are broadly lanceolate, ovate, or cordate, extending up to three inches long and two inches across. They feature a prominent central vein and two side veins that parallel the smooth margins. Cream Gentian prefers mesic black soil prairies and can also be found at the edges of upland forests, sandy oak savannas, limestone glades, and rocky bluffs, thriving in full to partial sun and moist to average soil conditions. (SF)
Tall Boneset (Eupatorium altissimum)
Photo by Gary Kurtz
Tall Boneset is a perennial plant that typically grows two to six feet tall and can spread about two to three feet wide. Its small, star-shaped flowers are about 1/8 inch across, dull white, and form large, flat-topped clusters up to eight inches wide. The leaves are lanceolate, opposite, ranging from two to six inches long and about an inch wide, occasionally toothed along the margins and covered with fine hairs. Tall Boneset thrives in dry upland prairies, open woods, thickets, clearings, and fields throughout eastern and central North America. It prefers dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils and can often be found in disturbed areas where it may form large colonies. (SF)
Wood Nettle (Laportea canadensis)
I did my masters thesis on Laportea - one thing I found (but did not publish unfortunately) is that it correlates with spring ephemerals. It comes up later so they can do their thing before it shades them put. It out-competes the plants that come up earlier and DO compete with the ephemerals.
Photo by Gary Kurtz
Unloved but Essential: Embracing Unpopular Plants for Biodiversity
From the tangled underbrush of Wisconsin’s forests, we find Laportea canadensis, or wood nettle--a plant more likely to earn a curse than a compliment thanks to its stinging hairs. Yet for all its prickly nature, wood nettle is a quiet cornerstone of healthy forest ecosystems: anchoring soil, nurturing wildlife, and helping extend biodiversity.
In the world of landscaping, a plant’s worth is often judged by aesthetics—showy blooms, tidy habits, or ease of maintenance. But native plants like wood nettle, often labeled as weeds, provide irreplaceable ecological benefits. Their presence fosters layered habitats, supports native insects, and helps reduce the impact of environmental stress.
Wood nettle thrives in shaded, moist areas of Wisconsin’s forests and wetlands, where it often forms dense patches in low-lying hardwood stands and along streambanks. It typically grows two to four feet tall with leaves up to six inches long, featuring serrated edges and stinging hairs that serve as a natural defense. Its tiny greenish-white flowers, though unassuming, play their part in forest reproduction through separate male and female blooms. Most importantly, this plant stabilizes soil, prevents erosion, and offers food and shelter to countless insects and small animals.
It’s easy to overlook plants like this—too prickly, too plain, too wild for conventional garden appeal. But wood nettle is emblematic of an urgent truth: biodiversity depends on diversity, not just of color or form, but of function. These underappreciated species support webs of life that charismatic flowers alone cannot sustain.
By rethinking our private landscapes—through practices like meadowscaping—we can move beyond manicured monocultures and embrace complexity. Incorporating native species, including the “unpopular” ones, transforms sterile turf into rich habitat. When we welcome plants like wood nettle into our yards, we aren't just tolerating the wild—we’re restoring it. (LS)
Flat-top Aster (Doellingeria umbellata)
Photo by Gary Kurtz
The flat-topped aster typically grows two to five feet tall and can spread two to four feet wide. Its small, daisy-like flowers are white with yellow centers, each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch across, and are arranged in flat-topped clusters at the top of the stems. The leaves are three to six inches long and 1/2 to 1 inch wide, lanceolate-elliptic in shape, with smooth margins and a medium to dark green upper surface and a pale green or whitish green lower surface. Flat-topped aster thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers moist to occasionally wet soils, commonly found in wet sand prairies, damp thickets, wet meadows, and along the borders of swamps. It does well in slightly acidic, sandy loam soils and can tolerate a range of moisture conditions.(SF)
Jumpseed (Persicaria virginiana)
Photo by Gary Kurtz
Jumpseed is an herbaceous perennial that typically reaches a height of two to three feet. Its flowers are quite small, about 1/8 inch long, and range in color from white to greenish-white, sometimes with a pinkish hue. These flowers are arranged sparsely along a spike-like raceme that can be four to 16 inches long. The leaves of Jumpseed are generally oval with a sharply pointed tip, growing up to seven inches long and four inches wide. They are medium green on the top and a silvery lighter green underneath. This plant thrives in rich, moist soils and is commonly found in shaded or partially shaded areas such as woodlands, woodland edges, and thickets. It can also grow along riverbanks, cliffs, and rocks. (SF)
Elm-leaf Goldenrod (Solidago ulmifolia)
Photo by Gary Kurtz
Elm-leaf goldenrod typically grows to a height of 1 to 3 feet, occasionally reaching up to 4 feet. Its small, yellow flowers form dense clusters along arching stems, with each flower head measuring about 1/8 inch across. The leaves are thin, coarsely toothed, and resemble those of an elm tree. The lower leaves are 2 to 4 inches long and 1/2 to 2 1/4 inches wide, ovate to lanceolate in shape with serrated margins. As they ascend the stem, the leaves become smaller and more lance-shaped. Elm-leaf goldenrod thrives in a variety of habitats, including mesic to upland woodlands, woodland edges, thinly wooded bluffs, edges of limestone glades, partially shaded riverbanks, and thickets. It prefers light shade to partial sun and can tolerate moist to somewhat dry soil. (SF)
Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana)
Photo by Gary Kurtz
Virgin’s Bower is a Wisconsin native in bloom at this time. It is a vine that can grow up to 20 feet tall. Its small, white, and fragrant flowers are about 1 inch across, featuring four petal-like sepals that are slightly hairy on the upper surface and more densely so on the lower. The leaves are compound, typically in groups of three leaflets, with each leaflet reaching up to 4 inches long and 3 inches wide. These leaflets are often shallowly lobed or cleft, with coarsely toothed edges, sharply pointed tips, and a rounded to heart-shaped base. Virgin’s Bower thrives in moist lowlands, thickets, and woodlands, especially those bordering streams and ponds, and can also be found in semi-open, moist woods and along streambanks. (SF)
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