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Optional Plant List
Full Sun Plant List
These plant species are native to Illinois and are good sources of nectar and/or pollen for animals that act as pollinators. Some of them provide food for larval stages of pollinators, too, and many of them provide shelter throughout the year. They are readily available for purchase from plant nurseries.
| COMMON NAME | SCIENTIFIC NAME | FLOWER COLOR | MATURE HEIGHT | BLOOMING PERIOD | SPACE REQUIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| azure aster | Symphyotrichum oolentangiense | blue | 2-3 feet | August - November | 1 foot |
| black-eyed Susan | Rudbeckia hirta | yellow | 1-3 feet | June - October | 1 foot |
| blue vervain | Verbena hastata | blue | 3-6 feet | June - October | 1 foot |
| brown-eyed Susan | Rudbeckia triloba | yellow | 2-5 feet | June - October | 2 feet |
| butterfly-weed | Asclepias tuberosa | orange | 2-3 feet | May - September | 1.5 feet |
| Canada milk vetch | Astragalus canadensis | yellow | 2-3 feet | June - August | 1 foot |
| common boneset | Eupatorium perfoliatum | white | 3-4 feet | August - October | 1 foot |
| common ironweed | Vernonia fasciculata | purple | 4-6 feet | July - September | 2 feet |
| common mountain mint | Pycnanthemum virginianum | white | 1-3 feet | July - September | 1 foot |
| compass-plant | Silphium laciniatum | yellow | 3-10 feet | June - September | 2 feet |
| Culver's-root | Veronicastrum virginicum | white | 3-6 feet | July - October | 1.5 feet |
| cup-plant | Silphium perfoliatum | yellow | 3-10 feet | July - October | 2 feet |
| downy sunflower | Helianthus mollis | yellow | 2-4 feet | July - September | 2 feet |
| foxglove beardstongue | Penstemon digitalis | white | 2-3 feet | May - July | 1 foot |
| golden Alexanders | Zizia aurea | yellow | 2-3 feet | April - June | 1 foot |
| great blue lobelia | Lobelia siphilitica | blue | 1-4 feet | July - October | 1 foot |
| hairy white aster | Symphyotrichum pilosum | white | 2-4 feet | September - October | 1 foot |
| hoary vervain | Verbena stricta | purple | 2-4 feet | May - September | 1 foot |
| horsemint | Monarda punctata | green-yellow | 1-2 feet | June - October | 1 foot |
| Indian plantain | Arnoglossum atriplicifolium | white | 3-6 feet | July - September | 2 feet |
| leadplant | Amorpha canescens | purple | 3-5 feet | May - August | 1 foot |
| marsh blazing-star | Liatris spicata | purple | 3-6 feet | July - September | 1 foot |
| New England aster | Symphyotrichum novae-angliae | purple | 3-6 feet | July - October | 1.5 feet |
| New Jersey tea | Ceanothus americanus | white | 3-4 feet | June - August | 3 feet |
| nodding wild onion | Allium cernuum | white | 1-2 feet | July - September | 1 foot |
| Ohio goldenrod | Oligoneuron ohioense | yellow | 3-4 feet | August - October | 2 feet |
| Ohio spiderwort | Tradescantia ohiensis | purple | 2-4 feet | April - August | 1 foot |
| ox-eye sunflower | Heliopsis helianthoides | yellow | 3-6 feet | June - October | 1 foot |
| pale coneflower | Echinacea pallida | purple | 3-5 feet | May - August | 1 foot |
| prairie blazing-star | Liatris pycnostachya | purple | 3-5 feet | September - October | 1 foot |
| prairie dock | Silphium terebinthinaceum | yellow | 3-10 feet | July - September | 2 feet |
| prairie dropseed | Sporobolus heterolepis | red-gold | 2-4 feet | August - September | 2 feet |
| prairie milkweed | Asclepias sullivantii | pink-white | 3-5 feet | June - July | 1 foot |
| purple coneflower | Echinacea purpurea | purple | 3-4 feet | July - September | 1 foot |
| purple prairie clover | Dalea purpurea | purple | 1-2 feet | June - September | 1 foot |
| rattlesnake master | Eryngium yuccifolium | white | 3-5 feet | July - August | 1 foot |
| rosinweed | Silphium integrifolium | yellow | 2-6 feet | July - August | 2 feet |
| rough blazing-star | Liatris aspera | red-purple | 2-5 feet | July - November | 1 foot |
| round-headed bush clover | Lespedeza capitata | white | 3-5 feet | August - October | 1 foot |
| sand coreopsis | Coreopsis lanceolata | yellow | 1-2 feet | May - August | 1 foot |
| shooting-star | Dodecatheon meadia | white | 1-2 feet | April - May | 1 foot |
| showy goldenrod | Solidago speciosa | yellow | 1-3 feet | August - October | 1 foot |
| showy tick trefoil | Desmodium canadense | purple | 3-5 feet | July - September | 1 foot |
| slender mountain mint | Pycnanthemum tenuifolium | white | 1-3 feet | June - August | 2 feet |
| smooth aster | Symphyotrichum laeve | blue | 2-4 feet | July - October | 1 foot |
| Solomon's-seal | Polygonatum commutatum | green-yellow | 1-3 feet | April - June | 1 foot |
| stiff aster | Oligoneuron album | purple | 1-2 feet | July - September | 1 foot |
| stiff goldenrod | Oligoneuron canescens | yellow | 3-5 feet | July - October | 1 foot |
| swamp milkweed | Asclepias incarnata | pink | 3-5 feet | June - August | 2 feet |
| sweet black-eyed Susan | Rudbeckia subtomentosa | yellow | 4-6 feet | July - September | 1 foot |
| western sunflower | Helianthus occidentalis | yellow | 3 feet | July - October | 1 foot |
| white wild indigo | Baptisia alba | white | 3-5 feet | May - August | 3 feet |
| wild bergamot | Monarda fistulosa | purple | 2-5 feet | May - August | 2 feet |
| wild petunia | Ruellia humilis | purple | 1-2 feet | May - October | 1 foot |
| wild quinine | Parthenium integrifolium | white | 3-5 feet | June - September | 2 feet |
| wild senna | Senna hebecarpa | yellow | 4-6 feet | July - August | 2 feet |
| yellow coneflower | Ratibida pinnata | yellow | 3-6 feet | July - October | 1.5 feet |
| yellow sneezeweed | Helenium autumnale | yellow | 4-5 feet | July - November | 1 foot |
Woodland Plant List
These plant species are native to Illinois, and most of them are good sources of nectar and/or pollen for animals that act as pollinators. Some of them provide food for larval stages of pollinators, too, and many of them provide shelter throughout the year. They are readily available for purchase from plant nurseries. These species are best for locations that are shaded or in partial shade for most of the day throughout the growing season.
| American bellflower | Campanulastrum americanum |
| black haw | Viburnum prunifolium |
| blue cohosh | Caulophyllum thalictroides |
| blue phlox | Phlox divaricata |
| bluebells | Mertensia virginica |
| calico aster | Symphyotrichum lateriflorum |
| columbine | Aquilegia canadensis |
| common chokecherry | Prunus virginiana |
| Culver’s-root | Veronicastrum virginicum |
| doll’s-eyes | Actaea pachypoda |
| dwarf larkspur | Delphinium tricorne |
| early meadow rue | Thalictrum dioicum |
| firepink | Silene virginica |
| goat’s-beard | Aruncus dioicus |
| golden Alexanders | Zizia aurea |
| golden ragwort | Packera aurea |
| heart-leaved aster | Symphyotrichum cordifolium |
| Jack-in-the-pulpit | Arisaema triphyllum |
| Jacob’s-ladder | Polemonium reptans |
| inland oats | Chasmanthium latifolium |
| large white trillium | Trillium grandiflorum |
| mayapple | Podophyllum peltatum |
| purple Joe-pye-weed | Eutrochium purpureum |
| purple trillium | Trillium recurvatum |
| Solomon’s-seal | Polygonatum commutatum |
| Virginia waterleaf | Hydrophyllum virginianum |
| wild geranium | Geranium maculatum |
| wild ginger | Asarum canadense |
| witch hazel | Hamamelis virginiana |
| yellow bellwort | Uvularia grandiflora |
| zigzag goldenrod | Solidago flexicaulis |