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)

Elm-leaf Goldenrod (Solidago ulmifolia)

Elm-leaved goldenrod is a keystone plant—part of a genus that supports over 100 species of butterfly and moth caterpillars, making it vital to the food web that sustains birds and other wildlife. Caterpillars are among the most important foods for nesting birds.  In bloom, this powerful perennial also draws a wide array of native bees, along with flies, wasps, and nectar-seeking beetles. Its seeds feed birds like eastern goldfinches and tree sparrows, and its presence in prairie and woodland edges contributes to the layered architecture that shelters countless other species. Though often overlooked, S. ulmifolia is a cornerstone of late-summer ecology.

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)

Stiff Sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus)

Stiff sunflower is a native perennial found in Wisconsin. Its late-summer blooms offer a rich nectar source for native bees, butterflies, and beetles, while its seeds provide food for birds and small mammals. As a rhizomatous perennial, it helps stabilize soil and form dense colonies that suppress invasive species, making it a valuable ally in prairie restoration. Its rough foliage and sturdy stems also offer shelter and nesting material for insects.

It can grow up to six feet tall. Most of the ones I've seen, though, are two to four 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)

 

Obedient Plant

The obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) 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. 

Obedient plant is often misinterpreted. Its name stems not from passivity, but from a peculiar trait: when a flower spike is bent, it temporarily holds its new position, as if “obedient” to touch. Ecologically, Physostegia virginiana functions as a robust colonizer in moist, disturbed habitats—such as degraded prairies, wet meadows, and riparian margins. It spreads vigorously through rhizomes, forming dense clonal patches that can suppress competing vegetation. While not allelopathic in the strict chemical sense, its rapid expansion and shading can inhibit the germination and growth of less aggressive species, including some non-native invaders. In restoration contexts, its dominance may be transitional: once site conditions stabilize and native plant diversity increases, obedient plant often recedes, allowing a more balanced community to emerge.  (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)

     

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)

 

Wild Senna (Senna marilandica)

Wild Senna

Wild senna (Senna marilandica) is a Wisconsin native perennial that grows up to 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Its bright yellow flowers bloom in mid to late summer, forming in axillary racemes, with each flower about ¾ inch across. Pollination is primarily carried out by bumblebees and solitary bees. It is a bumblebee magnet. The compound, pinnate leaves bear four to eight pairs of ovate to elliptical leaflets, adding to its lush appearance. Wild senna thrives in full sun to partial shade and tolerates a wide range of soil types, including sandy and rocky soils. It is commonly found along woodland edges, open fields, thickets, and moist habitats such as riverbanks and wet prairies. Ecologically, it serves as a larval host for several sulphur butterflies and its seeds provide food for upland gamebirds like quail and dove, making it a valuable addition to native plantings and restoration projects. (July)

      

Western Sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis)

 

Western Sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis)

The Western Sunflower is much more than an accent plant—it’s a keystone in Wisconsin’s dry, open habitats such as prairies, meadows, and rocky open woods, where it enjoys full sun and well-drained soils. Blooming in late summer, it offers vital nectar and pollen to native bees, butterflies, and beetles when few other wildflowers remain. Its seeds nourish birds like goldfinches, while its rhizomatous roots help stabilize soil in rocky, sunlit habitats. By supporting pollinators, enriching the food web, and anchoring biodiversity, this naive perennial plays a steady, sustaining role in prairie restoration and native plant communities

It typically grows to a height of  two to four feet. Its bright yellow flowers are daisy-like and measure about 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches across. The vibrant yellow disk in the center of the flower is composed of numerous, tiny disk florets. These flowers are surrounded by several overlapping bracts, which are light green, linear-lanceolate in shape, and about 1/4 inch long. The plant features long, often reddish, stiff stems that are mostly bare except for a few pairs of small, widely spaced leaves. The majority of the leaves form a basal rosette at the base of the plant, with the basal leaves being large, rough, and hairy, and attached by long stalks. The stem leaves are smaller and lanceolate, measuring around one to three inches long and 1/4 to 3/4 inches wide.  (SF)

Sweet Coneflower (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)

 

Photo by Gary Kurtz

     Sweet Coneflower is a native, perennial wildflower in Wisconsin. It can exceed five feet in height, but it usually grows three to five feet tall. Its daisy-like flowers are bright yellow with a dark brownish-purple center disk and measure about 2 to 3 inches in diameter. The upper leaves are typically lance-shaped to ovate and have a rough texture. They are smaller and narrower compared to the lower leaves, and they are arranged alternately along the stem. The leaves are usually toothed and have a grayish-green color. The lower and basal leaves reaching up to 8 inches long and 4 inches wide. The lower leaves are usually lobed with three to five lance-elliptic lobes and have coarsely toothed edges. Sweet Coneflower thrives in medium moisture, well-drained loam or sandy loam and prefers full or partial sun. It is commonly found in moist prairies, along streambanks, and in low areas. This plant is quite adaptable and can tolerate hot and humid summers, some drought, clay soil, and poor soils. (SF)

     

Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum)

 

Nodding Onion

Nodding onion (Allium cernuum) is a Wisconsin native, perennial wildflower. It typically grows to a height of 12 to 18 inches. Its small flowers, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter, form in clusters that nod or droop, and are usually pink to lavender in color. Each cluster can have up to 30 individual flowers. The leaves are long, slender, and grass-like, measuring 6 to 12 inches in length and about 1/8 to 1/4 inch in width. They grow from the base of the plant and have a smooth texture. Nodding onion is commonly found in prairies, open woods, and rocky slopes, preferring well-drained soils and areas with full sun to partial shade, and is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8. 

Nodding onion grows from a bulb and forms clumps over time. It blooms in mid to late summer and can be propagated either by seed or by dividing bulbs and offsets in spring or fall. Seeds require cold stratification to germinate successfully. Maintenance is minimal, though removing spent flower heads can help control self-seeding if desired. The bulbs, leaves, and flower stalks are edible, though they have a strong, bitter flavor. Indigenous peoples have used the plant for both food and medicinal purposes. Its name comes from the distinctive drooping habit of its flower clusters. (July)

     

False Indian Plantain (Hasteola suaveolens)

 

Photo by Gary Kurtz

     False Indian Plantain can grow up to five feet tall. It produces clusters of small, creamy white to pale yellow flowers, arranged in flat top clusters. Each flower is about 1/3 inch wide. The leaves are spearhead-shaped and have serrated edges. The leaves are hairless and have a distinctive shape that makes them easy to identify. They can grow four to 10 inches long and two to six inches wide. False Indian Plantain prefers moist to wet soil conditions and is commonly found along riverbanks, floodplain forests, wet meadows and the edges of marshes. It thrives in full sun to light shade. (SF)

American Potato Bean (Apios americana)

American Potato Bean (Apios americana)

American potato bean is a perennial wildflower that is native to Wisconsin, where it blooms from July to September. It is a vine that can grow eight to ten feet long in here in this state, even longer in warmer climates. The flowers are composed of dense racemes of pink, purple, or red brown flowers. The flowers are about an inch long, and the racemes grow three to five inches long. The leaves are pinnate with five to seven leaflets, each three to six inches long. The alternate leaves can be either smooth or hairy, lanceolate in shape, and smooth along the edges. It prefers soil that is sandy loam, well-draining, and rich in organic matter. It can be found in moist woods, along river banks, moist meadows, and wet ravines. 

American potato bean, plays a valuable ecological role in native landscapes. As a legume, it enriches soil through nitrogen fixation, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and supporting surrounding plant communities. Its fragrant, pea-like flowers attract native pollinators, particularly leafcutting bees, and may also draw in flies. The plant serves as a larval host for the silver-spotted skipper, contributing to butterfly life cycles. Its foliage is browsed by deer, offering forage that’s elevated above parasite-prone ground vegetation. With its perennial, rhizomatous growth, it helps stabilize soil and prevent erosion, especially in riparian zones and disturbed habitats.

Cultivating it involves propagation by tubers, which resemble beads on a string, though diploid varieties can be grown from seed with patience. It thrives in consistently moist, slightly acidic to neutral soil and benefits from mulching to retain moisture. In cooler climates, full sun is ideal, while partial shade suits hotter zones. The long vines require trellising to prevent smothering nearby plants. Tubers are best harvested after frost, when their flavor improves, and can be stored in moist soil for spring planting. Rich in protein, iron, and calcium, the tubers are edible when cooked and can be roasted, mashed, or turned into flour. While all parts are technically edible, some individuals may experience digestive discomfort unless thoroughly cooked. The plant grows slowly, often taking two years to produce harvestable tubers, and its scattered rhizomes make digging a challenge. (July) 

Whorled Milkweed (Asclepsias verticillata)

 

Photo by Gary Kurtz

 Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) is a resilient perennial wildflower native to much of North America, particularly thriving east of the Rocky Mountains. This plant typically reaches heights of 1-3 feet, with slender, erect stems adorned with narrow, linear leaves arranged in whorls. The leaves are about 1-3 inches long and less than a quarter-inch wide. From July to September, Whorled Milkweed produces clusters of small, white flowers, each about a quarter-inch across. These flowers are highly attractive to pollinators, including bees and butterflies, and play a crucial role in supporting Monarch butterfly larvae. Whorled Milkweed is adaptable to various soil types, including loam, sandy loam, silt, clay loam, and rocky soils, and it thrives in full sun to partial shade with dry to medium moisture conditions. Its resilience extends to being deer-resistant and drought-tolerant, making it an excellent choice for naturalized areas, pollinator gardens, or meadows. (SF)

Common Agrimony (Agrimonia gryposepala)

 

Common agrimony (Agrimonia gryposepala) is a perennial, Wisconsin native wildflower that can grow between 1 to 5 feet in height. It features small, bright yellow flowers arranged in elongating spike-like racemes at the top of the stem and arising from upper leaf axils. Each flower is about ¼ to ⅓ inch across, with five oval yellow petals and five to ten yellow stamens. The flowers are accompanied by green sepals that are pointed at the tip and slightly shorter than the petals. The leaves are compound, with 3 to 9 major leaflets and 1 to 4 pairs of smaller leaflets in between. The end leaflet is the largest, ranging from 1 to 4 inches long and ½ to 2 inches wide, becoming smaller towards the base of the compound leaf. The leaflets are elliptic to somewhat diamond-shaped, coarsely toothed with blunt to pointed teeth. The upper surface of the leaflets is hairless or nearly so, while the lower surface is densely covered in short, glandular hairs with sparse, long, non-glandular hairs mostly along the veins. 

It thrives in various habitats, including open woods, woodland edges, thickets, fields, and swamps. It blooms from mid to late summer, typically July through September, and its flowers are mildly fragrant, attracting a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and beetles. After flowering, the plant produces small, burr-like fruits with hooked bristles that cling to fur and clothing, aiding in seed dispersal.

(July)

     

Wild Germander (Teucrium canadense)

Wild Germander

Wild germander (Teucrium canadense) is a native perennial wildflower in Wisconsin that grows up to three feet tall. It features a four-sided, hairy stem that is rarely branched. It produces a terminal spike of 3/4 inch long, purplish-pink flowers. The flowers have a unique corolla configuration with no apparent upper lip. It has opposite leaves that can be up to five inches long and 2-1/2 inches wide. The upper leaf surface is dark green with recessed veins and the lower leaf surface is dull green with raised veins. Wild Germander thrives in fields, prairies, low woods, stream sides, roadsides, and other disturbed sites.

This plant belongs to the mint family and is widespread across much of North America. Its square stems and opposite leaves are typical of mint relatives, and its flowers bloom from June to September. Each flower has a broad lower lip that serves as a landing pad for pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and flies. The upper lip is nearly absent, but four long stamens arch outward through a slit, giving the flower a distinctive appearance that resembles an orchid when viewed head-on.

Wild germander spreads through rhizomes, forming colonies in suitable habitats. Its root system is fibrous, and the plant can tolerate a range of soil types, though it prefers moist to medium-moist conditions. It is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9 and can grow in full sun or partial shade. While the flowers are visually striking, they lack fragrance. After blooming, each flower produces four small seeds enclosed in a persistent calyx.

Historically, Native Americans used wild germander for medicinal purposes. The leaves were steeped in water to treat skin sores and ulcers, and teas were made for various ailments. However, modern herbal use has declined due to concerns about liver toxicity associated with certain compounds found in the plant. Despite this, it remains an important species for pollinators and is often included in native plant gardens and restoration projects.

(July)