Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Friday - June 27, 2008
From: Broaddus, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildlife Gardens
Title: Native plants for birds and butterflies
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
We have a home on Lake Sam Rayburn and in the process of putting in some plants and shrubs around our new home. I would like them to be native to the area and attract birds, butterflies and hummingbirds. Can you give me or tell me the easiest way to figure out what plants would work well and where I may find them? Thank you.ANSWER:
If you will go to our Recommended Species page and click on East Texas, you will get a list of "Commercially available native plant species suitable for planned landscapes in East Texas." On that same page with the Recommended Species, there is a a list of plants valuable to butterflies under Butterflies and Moths of North America and one for Hummingbird Plants for Central TexasBy choosing plants from the butterfly and hummingbird lists that you can find on the East Texas Recommended Species list, you should come up with a very nice list of wildflowers and shrubs for your property. Here are a few recommendations from those lists:
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed)
Callicarpa americana (American beautyberry)
Cercis canadensis var. texensis (Texas redbud)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
Erythrina herbacea (redcardinal)
Lonicera sempervirens (trumpet honeysuckle)
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (wax mallow)
Conoclinium coelestinum (blue mistflower)
Lupinus texensis (Texas bluebonnet)
And, there are many more to choose from.
Passiflora incarnata (purple passionflower)
Rudbeckia hirta (blackeyed Susan)
You can search for nurseries and seed companies that specialize in native plants in your area in our National Suppliers Directory.
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