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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiarella cordifolia | Heart-leaved foamflower | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Clethra alnifolia | Sweet pepperbush, Coastal white-alder | Bees, Butterfiles, Hummingbirds | ||
| Parthenium integrifolium var. integrifolium | Common wild quinine, American feverfew, Eastern feverfew | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Chelone glabra | White turtlehead | Bees, Butterfiles, Hummingbirds | ||
| Euthamia caroliniana | Slender flat-top goldenrod | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Pycnanthemum virginianum | Virginia mountain-mint | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Verbesina alternifolia | Wingstem | Bees, Butterfiles, Monarchs | 17 | |
| Hypericum prolificum | Common st. john's-wort, Shrubby st. john's wort | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Sambucus canadensis | Common elderberry | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Allium cernuum | Nodding onion | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Antennaria plantaginifolia | Ladies' tabacco, Plantain-leaved everlasting, Pussytoes, Plantain pussytoes, Everlasting, Mouse ear, Plantain-leaved pussytoes | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Lonicera sempervirens | Trumpet honeysuckle, Coral honeysuckle | Bees, Butterfiles, Hummingbirds | ||
| Toxicodendron radicans | Poison ivy | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Uvularia sessilifolia | Sessile bellwort, Wild-oats | Bees | ||
| Collinsonia canadensis | Canada horsebalm, Richweed | Bees, Butterfiles, Hummingbirds | ||
| Passiflora incarnata | Purple passionflower, Maypop, Maypops | Bees, Butterfiles, Hummingbirds | ||
| Chrysopsis mariana | Maryland golden-aster, Maryland golden aster | Bees, Butterfiles | 20 | |
| Eutrochium dubium | Three-nerved joe-pye-weed, Coastal plain joe pye weed, Coastal plain joe-pye weed , Coastal plain joepye weed | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Quercus bicolor | Swamp white oak | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Vernonia noveboracensis | New york ironweed | Bees, Butterfiles, Hummingbirds, Monarchs | 12 | |
| Hypericum punctatum | Spotted st. john's-wort | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Sassafras albidum | Sassafras, Cinnamon wood | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Aquilegia canadensis | Eastern red columbine, Wild columbine | Bees, Butterfiles, Hummingbirds | ||
| Ludwigia alternifolia | Seedbox, Alternate-leaved seedbox, Rattlebox | Bees, Butterfiles | ||
| Tradescantia virginiana | Virginia spiderwort | Bees, Butterfiles |