Keystone Species
What is a keystone native plant?
The term “keystone” plant, popularized by noted entomologist Douglas W. Tallamy, refers to the critical piece of a stone arch that holds it together. Without it, the arch collapses.
Keystone plants are native plant species that play an outsized role in supporting the local food web. Although all native plants can contribute to biodiversity, a comparatively small number host especially large numbers of native insects—particularly moth and butterfly caterpillars. Those insects turn plant leaves into food for spiders, amphibians, reptiles, and birds, including many songbirds that rely on caterpillars to feed their young. In this way, keystone plants help move energy from the sun and vegetation into the broader community of wildlife.
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| Scientific Name | Common Name(s) | Supports Pollinators | Number of Lepidotera Species Genus Supports Sort ascending | Number of Pollen Specialist Bees that Rely on this Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pycnanthemum muticum | Short-toothed mountain-mint, Clustered mountain-mint | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Allium tricoccum | Wild leek, Ramps, Rampscallions | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Linaria canadensis | Blue toadflax, Canada toadflax | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Symphyotrichum puniceum var. puniceum | Purple-stem aster, Swamp aster | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Aplectrum hyemale | Puttyroot, Adam-and-eve | Bees | ||
| Ceanothus americanus | New jersey tea, Mountain snowbell, Redroot | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Oenothera gaura | Biennial gaura, Northeastern gaura | Bees, Butterfiles, Hummingbirds | ||
| Opuntia humifusa | Eastern prickly-pear, Eastern prickly-pear cactus | Bees | ||
| Zizia aurea | Common golden-alexanders, Golden-alexanders | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Diospyros virginiana | Common persimmon, American persimmon | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Conoclinium coelestinum | Mistflower, Ageratum, Blue boneset, Blue mistflower, Wild ageratum | Bees, Butterfiles, Monarchs | ||
| Euphorbia corollata | Flowering spurge | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Pontederia cordata var. cordata | Pickerelweed, Pickerel weed | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Lindera benzoin | Spicebush | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Hibiscus moscheutos | Swamp rose mallow, Swamp rose-mallow, Crimson-eyed rose-mallow, Eastern rose-mallow | Bees, Butterfiles, Hummingbirds | ||
| Ruellia caroliniensis | Carolina wild-petunia, Common wild-petunia | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Pycnanthemum tenuifolium | Narrow-leaf mountain-mint, Slender mountain-mint | Bees, Butterfiles, Monarchs | ||
| Amelanchier arborea | Downy serviceberry, Shadbush | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Lobelia cardinalis | Cardinal flower, Indian pink | Bees, Butterfiles, Hummingbirds | ||
| Thalictrum dioicum | Early meadow-rue | Bees | ||
| Podophyllum peltatum | Mayapple, Devil's apple, Duck's foot, Hog apple, Indian apple, Indian apple root, Mandrake , Raccoonberry, Umbrella leaf, Wild lemon, May-apple, May apple | Bees | ||
| Chionanthus virginicus | Fringetree, Old man's beard | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Chrysogonum virginianum | Green and gold | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Packera anonyma | Small's ragwort, Appalachian ragwort, Plain ragwort, Southern ragwort | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Ilex verticillata | Winterberry | Bees, Butterfiles |