Choose the Perfect Plant
Using the "Filter By" dropdowns below you will have the ability to filter plants based on five different criteria (Bloom Time, Sunlight, Plant Height, Caterpillars Hosted, and Wildlife Benefited). The results will automatically populate based on your choices.
This online tool is designed to help you find the native plants best suited for specific sites, that provide the greatest ecological function and benefit, and will complement your landscape design.
Many of these plants are available for purchase seasonally at Maine Audubon. Check here for updates on plant sales and availability. The Maine Audubon Native Plant Finder is part of Maine Audubon’s “Bringing Nature Home project, made possible by the generous support of Jim & Ann Hancock.
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American Hazelnut
Corylus americana
A rounded, thicket-forming, multi-stemmed shrub that produces edible nuts, which can be roasted, ground to flour, or left for wildlife to enjoy. Nice fall foliage.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Arrowwood
Viburnum dentatum
Adaptable mid-sized shrub provides unique leaf shape and texture with showy flower and fruit display typical of viburnums.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Beach Plum
Prunus maritima
Attractive shrub or small tree with abundant flowers and edible fruit. Salt and drought resistant. Species is listed as Endangered in Maine.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Black Cherry
Prunus serotina
One of the largest of the cherry trees! Has a beautiful spring bloom and attractive fall foliage. Fruit is very attractive to wildlife.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Black Gum
Nyssa sylvatica
Attractive, slow-growing tree with waxy leaves. Beautiful blue berries and showy scarlet-colored fall foliage.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Black Willow
Salix nigra
Fast-growing, medium to large sized water-loving tree, great for erosion control and flood prevention. Bark and twigs are commonly browsed by wildlife.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Blue Flag Iris
Iris versicolor
This spring stunner has sword-shaped blue-green leaves and produces 3-4” wide bluish-purple flowers with yellow and white blotches. It’s a natural for wet areas and spreads by rhizomes.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Blue-stemmed Goldenrod
Solidago caesia
Clump-forming, non-aggressive growing Goldenrod with arching, purple stems, and small clusters of daisy-like yellow flowers. Very attractive to pollinators and deer tolerant!
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Bunchberry
Cornus canadensis
Small, hardy accent or groundcover with beautiful foliage, flowers, and fruit. Also known as Chamaepericlymenum canadense.
Bloom Time
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Bush Honeysuckle
Diervilla lonicera
Suckering densely branched shrub with fragrant, brightly colored tube-like flowers, attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
This stunning perennial provides a pop of bright orange color and is a host plant for Monarch butterflies. State-listed as Potentially Extirpated.
Bloom Time
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Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
A low-maintenance shrub with glossy leaves and long-lasting white fragrant flowers that resemble pincushions. Attracts a wide variety of pollinators and adapts easily to various soil types.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
This plant is absolutely stunning with large, cardinal-red tubular flowers that are magnets for hummingbirds and butterflies. Super effective in moist and shady areas, providing a pop of brilliant color.
Bloom Time
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Chokecherry
Prunus virginiana
Large shrub/small tree with fragrant, dense clusters of white flowers and red/dark purple fruit, that are very attractive to birds and butterflies, and can be made into jelly or preserves. Excellent wildlife value!
Bloom Time
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Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
A beautiful woodland native with nodding red and yellow spurred flowers. Attracts hummingbirds and is deer resistant.
Bloom Time
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Common Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Large, full shrub produces showy white flowers and edible fruit. Food source for countless insects, pollinators, songbirds, and mammals.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Common Juniper
Juniperus communis
Needled evergreen conifer that loves colder climates! Behaves like low-spreading shrub but can grow tall in certain conditions.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Common Witchhazel
Hamamelis virginiana
Unique large shrub with interesting foliage and flowers, which bloom in late fall following leaf drop.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Cranesbill
Geranium maculatum
One of the best spring-blooming natives, this low-maintenance beauty produces pink to lilac five-petaled flowers that give way to distinctive seed capsules. Has deeply cut, five-lobed dark green leaves.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Culver’s Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Like a glowing candelabra, this stunning native will light up back-of-the-border areas and create cottage charm. Elegantly reaches 5’ with spikes of white to purple-tinged flowers. Attracts bees and butterflies galore!
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis
Classic Northern New England conifer serves well in a variety of protected settings in town.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
Caterpillar Species Hosted
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Foam Flower
Tiarella cordifolia
A great groundcover for shade gardens, the small, white to pinkish, foam-like flowers of this native plant really shine. The semi-glossy, heart-shaped leaves are often tinged with burgundy variegation along the veins. A real winner!
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
Caterpillar Species Hosted
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Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
For an amazing spring show-stopper, this native plant can’t be beat. It features white to pink, two-lipped, tubular flowers atop tall stems. Attracts a huge variety of pollinators and beneficial insects.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
Caterpillar Species Hosted
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Goatsbeard
Aruncus dioicus
A handsome perennial with creamy white flower plumes that brightens shady spots. It becomes shrublike over time and is a great plant for the back of the garden.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Golden Alexander
Zizia aurea
Beautiful upright herbaceous plant with flat-topped clusters of tiny yellow flowers. Fruit and leaves turn purple in the fall. Attracts native pollinators. Moderately deer resistant.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Golden Ragwort
Packera aurea
Semi-evergreen basal foliage creates a nice ground cover, with attractive yellow daisy-like flowers shooting up in the spring. Leaves are purple underneath. Perfect for moist-woodland gardens.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Gray Dogwood
Cornus racemosa
Thicket forming shrub with beautiful white flowers and white berries that grow on red stems. Deer tolerant and very attractive to wildlife! Also known as Swida racemosa.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
Caterpillar Species Hosted
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Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Wow! This plant has it all—light to dark blue, tubular, two-lipped flowers blooming in tall spikes late in the season. Attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and countless other beneficial insects. Species is Potentially Extirpated in Maine.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
Caterpillar Species Hosted
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Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
Medium to large sturdy shrub with pretty foliage, plump berries, and gorgeous fall color. Food source for people and many taxa of wildlife.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
Caterpillar Species Hosted
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Highbush Cranberry
Viburnum trilobum
Unique viburnum with bright red edible berries that ripen through winter. Also known as Viburnum opulus.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Lady Fern
Athyrium filix-femina
Lacy, light-green, arching fronds with finely-divided, pointed leaflets grace this shade-loving fern. Easy to grow and is low maintenance.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
Caterpillar Species Hosted
Wildlife Benefited
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Lanceleaf Tickseed
Coreopsis lanceolata
A wonderful plant for colonizing poor soils, this native produces bright yellow daisy-like flowers on long stems. Great for pollinators and beneficial insects!
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
Caterpillar Species Hosted
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Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Heat and drought tolerant, this wonderful native provides year-round interest with blue-green foliage in the summer, followed by orangish-burgundy fall color. The silvery-white seed tufts persist into winter. Upright, clump-forming and carefree!
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Lowbush Blueberry
Vaccinium angustifolium
Small woody plant is extremely durable and drought-resistant, thus can be found thriving in many tough growing conditions.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
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Meadowsweet
Spiraea latifolia
A lovely mounding shrub with small white and pinkish flowers in cone-shaped clusters. Attracts birds and native bees. Deer tolerant. Also known as Spiraea alba var. latifolia.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Nannyberry
Viburnum lentago
Tall shrub or small tree with showy flowers and fruit typical of viburnums.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
This pollinator magnet produces a riot of daisy-like blue to purple, and sometimes pink, flowers with yellow centers from late summer to early fall.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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New Jersey Tea
Ceanothus americanus
This durable and drought-tolerant plant produces bright white flowers that attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Use as a groundcover or a low hedge for the most difficult areas of your yard. Species is listed as Threatened in Maine.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Northern Bayberry
Myrica pensylvanica
Gorgeous, full, large shrub with waxy, fragrant leaves and beneficial berries that persist into winter. Salt, drought, and pest resistant. also known as Morella pensylvanica and Morella caroliniensis.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra
This rugged staple of the Eastern Forest is just at home as an urban shade or street tree. Oaks are among the most beneficial genera for diverse wildlife.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Northern Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Large shrub, often multi-trunked, that produces beautiful flowers, fruit, and fall foliage. Very good yellow fall color. Species is listed as Species of Concern in Maine.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
Caterpillar Species Hosted
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Northern White Cedar
Thuja occidentalis
Species is a familiar evergreen hedge or foundation plant due to many cultivars. Straight species has same clean, upright habit plus wildlife benefits.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Ostrich Fern
Pteretis nodulosa
The large, lustrous, and graceful dark green fronds of this fern resemble ostrich plumes in summer after emerging as edible fiddleheads in spring. Will form a quick cover with spreading, underground rhizomes. Also known as Matteuccia struthiopteris.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Pagoda Dogwood
Cornus alternifolia
This small flowering tree is as ornamental as it is beneficial. Its small size and flat-topped growing habit make an interesting shady spot for a small yard or space, and large white flowers followed by blue/black berries support countless wildlife species. Also known as Swida alternifolia.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
A beautiful sedge that produces soft delicate fountains of foliage and is an amazing groundcover for dry shady spots.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Pussy Willow
Salix discolor
Fast-growing many-stemmed shrub or small tree with shiny green leaves and silky, furry catkins that appear in late winter and early spring, ranging from white, to green, to brown.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Red Maple
Acer rubrum
Large, well-adapted shade tree, interesting spring and fall color. Important early nectar source, bountiful host plant, and shelter/refuge for countless wildlife taxa.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Red-twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Beautiful flowering shrub with red stems when young. Very attractive to wildlife (including deer). Colorful autumn foliage. Also known as Swida sericea.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Seaside Goldenrod
Solidago sempervirens
Unique clumping form of familiar genus. Long, lobed leaves multiply in upright clump rather than spreading throughout garden. Produces dense, long-lasting flower clusters.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Small tree, or multi-trunked shrub, with delicate white flowers in the spring, small red fruit, and orange-red foliage and blue fruit in the fall.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Silky Dogwood
Cornus amomum
Large, interesting shrub with attractive foliage, flowers, fruit, and stems. Will form wide thicket if low stems allowed to contact ground and root. Also known as Swida amomum.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Spotted Joe Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Crowned with clusters of bright pink flowers in late summer, this native is a nectar source for many insect species and is the larval host for 27 different butterflies and moths.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Striped Maple
Acer pensylvanicum
Small understory tree with showy leaves and interesting bark. Makes interesting accent for moist shady spots.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Summersweet
Clethra alnifolia
Medium to large shrub with interesting leaves and showy, fragrant, long-lasting white flowers in midsummer. Well adapted to varied growing conditions, very hardy. Species is listed as Species of Concern in Maine.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A stunning perennial with dark pink flower buds that open to pale pink; a pollinator magnet and host plant to Monarch butterflies.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Sweetfern
Comptonia peregrina
A small, aromatic clumping shrub that colonizes and spreads vigorously if left alone. Great native groundcover!
Bloom Time
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Height
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Virgin’s Bower
Clematis virginiana
This twining vine produces a profusion of white fall-blooming flowers which morph into attractive, plume-like seed heads. Blooms on current year’s growth.
Bloom Time
Sunlight
Height
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Virginia Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum virginianum
Attract pollinators galore with this awesome native! Bees, wasps, beetles, butterflies, and moths sip the nectar from the small, white-to-lavender flowers. Forms clumps and spreads by rhizomes--a low maintenance winner!
Bloom Time
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Virginia Rose
Rosa virginiana
Fast-growing vibrant pink rose bush with lustrous dark green leaves. The fruit is high in Vitamin C and can be used to make jam or tea.
Bloom Time
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Height
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White Oak
Quercus alba
Large, important species of oak in relative decline. Tends to grow stout horizontal branches giving it broader spread than other oaks.
Bloom Time
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White Turtlehead
Chelone glabra
This striking perennial has lance-shaped, dark green leaves and white snapdragon-like flowers that resemble turtle heads. Adds late summer charm to shade gardens and is a great accent plant.
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Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
This amazing plant attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and a host of beneficial insects with its beautiful lavender, two-lipped, tubular flowers atop wonderfully fragrant stems and leaves.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Wild Raisin
Viburnum cassinoides
Showy upright shrub with dynamic flower to fruit display that changes colors into fall. Also known as Viburnum nudum.
Bloom Time
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Wild Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
A beautiful and edible cool-season perennial ground cover, with white flowers and red fruit. Attractive to native pollinators and useful for erosion control. Deer and drought tolerant.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Large shrub named for brilliant red berries appearing in late fall and lasting through winter.
Bloom Time
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Height
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Zigzag Goldenrod
Solidago flexicaulis
A low-maintenance woodland variety of goldenrod has somewhat zig-zagged stems with small yellow flower heads that are very attractive to pollinators. Deer tolerant.
Bloom Time
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Height
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