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)

Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)

 

White Rattlesnake-Root (Nabalus albus)

 

Photo by Gary Kurtz

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)

Stiff Sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus)

Photo by Gary Kurtz 

     Stiff sunflower is a native, perennial wildflower in Wisconsin that grows up to six feet tall. The flowers are yellow and measure 2 to 3-1/2 inches across. They have 10 to 25 petals (ray flowers) surrounding a usually purplish-brown center disk. The bracts are short, wide, and flattened, usually with a dull point at the tip and short hairs around the edges. The stems are bristly and turn reddish-brown with age. They are mostly naked and branching. The leaves are two to 10 inches long and 3/4 to 2-1/4 inches wide. They are typically shaped like the tip of a spear, with a very rough texture. The leaves are short-stalked to stalkless and have shallow, widely spaced teeth along the edges. Stiff sunflowers are  are commonly found in dry or drying prairies, roadsides, and open woods. They prefer full sun and well-drained soils. (SF)

Yellow Giant Hyssop (Agastache nepetoides)

 

Photo by Gary Kurtz

     Yellow giant hyssop typically grows between three to seven feet tall, with most plants reaching around five to six feet. The flowers are small and pale yellow, arranged in dense, vertical spikes that can be four to 16 inches long. Each individual flower is about 1/3 inch long. The leaves are opposite, thin, and coarsely toothed, somewhat egg-shaped with a rounded base, and attached to long stalks. They can be up to six inches long and three inches wide. Yellow giant hyssop prefers rich soil in a savanna (part shade) setting but can also tolerate full sun. It naturally occurs in meadows, along fencerows, in lowland woods, thickets, and upland deciduous woods. It thrives in moist to mesic conditions and can grow in both fairly dry and very wet locations. (SF)

Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)

 

Photo by Gary Kurtz  

     The obedient plant typically grows to a height of three to four feet. Its flowers are tubular and resemble snapdragons, arranged in dense spikes, with each flower about 1 inch long. The colors range from pink to pale lilac. The leaves are lance-shaped, growing in opposite pairs along the stem, with each pair rotated 90 degrees from the previous one. They are about four to five inches long and one to two inches wide, with serrated edges. Obedient plants prefer full sun to partial shade and thrive in moist, well-drained soils. They are quite adaptable and can grow in a variety of soil types, including loam, clay, and rocky soils. Often found in wetlands, prairies, and meadows, they can tolerate both drought and poor drainage. (July)

     

Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida)

 

Photo by Gary Kurtz

     Stiff goldenrod is a native perennial that typically grows between three to five feet tall. Its bright yellow flowers are arranged in dense, flat-topped clusters, with each flower measuring about 3/8 inch in diameter and the entire inflorescence spanning two to five inches across. The plant’s leaves are stiff and rough-textured, with basal leaves reaching up to 10 inches long and five inches wide. Leaves along the stem are alternately arranged, with lower leaves being oblong and up to eight inches long and two inches wide, while upper leaves are lance-shaped and stalkless. Stiff goldenrod thrives in prairies, dry fields, and open woodlands, preferring full sun and a variety of soils, including dry, sandy, and rocky soils. (SF)

     

Giant Sunflower (Helianthus giganteus)

 Photo by Gary Kurtz

      The Giant Sunflower can grow up to 12 feet tall, with bright yellow flowers measuring about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. The central discs of the flowers can range from golden to brown. The rough stems are typically green, but can have a reddish-purple hue. The lanceolate-elliptic shaped leaves are opposite on the lower part of the stem and alternate along the upper part of the stem and can be up to seven inches long and two inches wide. The upper side of the leaves are rough and the lower sides are softly hairy. The leaves have rounded teeth along the edges. This sunflower thrives in moist, open areas such as prairies, meadows, and along streams. (SF) 

     

     

Slender Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium)

Photo by Gary Kurtz

     Slender mountain mint typically grows to a height of 2 to 3 feet. Its small, white flowers, often dotted with purple spots, are about 1/4 inch long and bloom in dense, terminal clusters. The leaves are very narrow and almost needle-like, up to 3 inches long and about 1/4 inch wide. They are opposite, linear, and hairless, with a prominent central vein and smooth margins. This plant is quite adaptable and can be found in a variety of habitats, including dry, open rocky woods, dry prairies, fields, along roadsides, stream sides, and in open, wet thickets. It prefers full sun to part shade and can thrive in dry to medium soil conditions. (SF)