native plants Archives - Backyard Habitats

Plains coreopsis flowers with a hoverfly visiting a bloom in a dense patch of yellow and red flowers.

Plains Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria): A Native Annual That Finds Its Own Place

September 6, 2026 / Native Plant Profiles

Some plants become part of a garden because you carefully decide exactly where they belong. Others seem more interested in making that decision themselves. Plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) has become one of those plants for me. Its small yellow flowers, usually marked with deep reddish-brown near the center, don’t dominate the garden. Instead, they seem […]

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Gray-headed coneflower, wild bergamot, grasses and dogwood growing together in a natural plant community.

Plant Communities | How Plants Grow Together in Nature

August 29, 2026 / Backyard Habitats

When we first start gardening, we tend to think about plants individually. We might choose a coneflower because we like the flower, plant milkweed because we want to help monarchs, or find a grass we like and try to figure out where we can fit it. There is nothing wrong with any of that. It

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Mature American pokeweed with purple-red stems and hanging berry clusters growing among goldenrod in a backyard habitat.

American Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana): The Native “Weed” I Learned to Appreciate

August 22, 2026 / Native Plant Profiles

Pokeweed is probably not the first plant that comes to mind when someone thinks about creating a native garden. In fact, for a long time, I didn’t think much about it at all. American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is one of those plants that seems to simply appear. Birds eat the berries, deposit the seeds somewhere

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Small creek flowing from a duck pond into the Maumee River surrounded by dense vegetation and woodland.

Northwest Ohio Field Notes | Exploring Local Landscapes

August 13, 2026 / Field Notes

Field Notes is an ongoing Backyard Habitats series exploring the natural areas of Northwest Ohio through observation. I visit preserves, parks, and other natural spaces throughout the region and slow down long enough to pay attention—to the plants and wildlife, the soil and water, the transitions between habitats, and the relationships that connect them. Field

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Close-up of eastern prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa) growing in the sandy oak savanna at Kitty Todd Nature Preserve in northwest Ohio.

Exploring the Oak Savanna at Kitty Todd Nature Preserve

August 7, 2026 / Field Notes

Field observations recorded July 14, 2026. Habitats Explored: Oak Savanna · Dry Sand Prairie/Openings · Oak Woodland Following the Sand Through an Oak Savanna After leaving Salamander Flats, I wasn’t quite ready to head home. The preserve had left me thinking about hidden water and how subtle changes in elevation could shape an entire ecosystem.

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Virginia mountain mint attracting a thread-waisted wasp.

Virginia Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum): A Native Perennial That Attracts Incredible Pollinator Diversity

July 28, 2026 / Native Plant Profiles

If I could recommend one perennial for attracting pollinators in a Northwest Ohio garden, Virginia mountain mint would be near the top of the list. Despite its name, it isn’t a mountain plant in the way many people imagine. It naturally grows throughout much of eastern North America in prairies, open woodlands, meadows, woodland edges,

Virginia Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum): A Native Perennial That Attracts Incredible Pollinator Diversity Read Post »

Red bird feeder used as a nesting site by a pair of House Wrens in a backyard habitat.

The House Wrens That Chose My Backyard

July 14, 2026 / Backyard Stories

Habitats Featured: Backyard Habitat • Brush Pile • Silver Maple • Woodland Edge • House Wrens A Tiny Bird’s First Day Sometimes the smallest moments reveal the biggest lessons. I was watering one corner of my garden when I heard wrens calling nearby. It immediately caught my attention, so I looked up. One of the

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White flower spikes of Culver's root in bloom.

Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum): A Tall Native Wildflower That Adds Structure to the Summer Garden

July 11, 2026 / Native Plant Profiles

As my garden moves into midsummer, certain plants naturally begin to stand out. This year, one of those plants has been Culver’s root. I planted it last year, knowing it would likely spend its first season establishing roots before putting on much of a show. This summer, that patience has been rewarded. Growing in full

Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum): A Tall Native Wildflower That Adds Structure to the Summer Garden Read Post »

American toad camouflaged in oak leaf litter beside false Solomon’s seal in woodland understory at Lou Campbell State Nature Preserve.

Exploring Lou Campbell State Nature Preserve: Patience Among the Oaks

June 29, 2026 / Field Notes

Field observations recorded June 20, 2026. Habitats Explored: Oak Savanna • Oak Woodland • Seasonal Wetlands • Sand Dunes • Prairie • Pond Some places don’t reveal themselves all at once Some parks greet you with sweeping overlooks, rushing water, or an abundance of wildlife. Lou Campbell State Nature Preserve takes a different approach. It

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Young six-point white-tailed buck standing alert in a woodland savanna at Swan Creek Metropark.

Exploring Swan Creek: A Landscape Still Being Carved

June 24, 2026 / Field Notes

Field observations recorded June 18, 2026. Habitats Explored: Floodplain Forest • Oak Woodland • Oak Savanna • Riparian Creek Corridor • Seasonal Wetlands • Successional Thickets • Lowland Oxbow Depressions First Impressions There are places that feel preserved, as if time has slowed down long enough for nature to remain untouched. Swan Creek Metropark feels

Exploring Swan Creek: A Landscape Still Being Carved Read Post »

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