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As part of our “Bird-friendly Plants of the Year” project, HGCNY and Onondaga Audubon create a “Birdy Dozen” list of native plants each year, which then is added to the previous years’ lists.
Below are the plants we’ve selected for each year so far. The initial lists feature more herbaceous plants than woodies, but eventually — when we can give growers enough advance notice — we’ll include more woody shrubs and trees, which are so important for birds.
Note that many plants have multiple common names. Common names may also apply to different plants. Good reasons for learning the scientific names so you are getting the plant you intend to get.
Information on plants
What does “dioecious” mean?
Why do we list “dioecious” plants separately in the lists below?
Most plants are “monoecious,” having both male and female parts on the same individual plant. “Dioecious” plants, though, have these parts on separate male and female plants, so a male plant is required to pollinate female plants to produce berries. The male must be located generally within about 100 feet or less. It’s generally not possible to determine whether an individual plant is male or female as a seedling tree or shrub, which is how we offer them. One solution is to buy a few more plants and remove extra male plants when they mature.
Note, however, the leaves of both males and females support butterfly and moth caterpillars.
2019 List
2018 List
2017 List
Summary of 2017-2019 lists
(The 2020 list follows)
Grasses (2017-2019)
- Panicum virgatum – Switch grass
- Schizachyrium scoparium – Little bluestem
- Sorghastrum nutans – Indian grass
- Sporobolus heterolepsis – Prairie dropseed
Herbaceous (2017-2019)
- Actaea racemosa (Syn. Cimicifuga racemosa) – Black cohosh
- Agastache foeniculum – Anise hyssop, Blue giant hyssop
- Aquilegia canadensis – Wild columbine, Red columbine
- Asclepias incarnata – Swamp milkweed
- Aster divaricatus (Syn: Eurybia divaricata) – White wood aster
- Chelone glabra – White turtlehead
- Eupatorium perfoliatum – Common boneset
- Helianthus divaricatus – Woodland sunflower
- Liatris spicata – Blazing star, Gayfeather
- Monarda didyma – Oswego tea
- Rudbeckia laciniata – Cutleaf coneflower, Green-head coneflower, Tall coneflower
- Solidago caesia – Bluestem goldenrod, Wreath goldenrod
- Solidago rugosa – Rough goldenrod, Rough-stemmed goldenrod, Wrinkle-leaf goldenrod
- Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (Syn: Aster novae-angliae) – New England aster
- Vernonia noveboracensis – New York ironweed
Vines (2017-2019)
- Lonicera sempervirens – Coral honeysuckle, Honeysuckle vine, Trumpet honeysuckle
- Parthenocissus quinquefolia – Virginia creeper, Woodbine
Shrubs (2017-2019)
- Aronia melanocarpa (Syn: Photinia melanocarpa, Pyrus melanocarpa) – Black chokeberry
- Cornus amomum – Silky dogwood
- Prunus virginiana – American chokecherry, Chokecherry
- Rubus odoratus – Purple flowering raspberry
- Sambucus canadensis (Syn: Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis) – American black elderberry, Common elder
Dioecious shrubs (2017-2019)
- Ilex verticillata – Winterberry, Common winterberry
- Lindera benzoin – Spicebush
- Salix discolor – Pussy willow
Deciduous trees (2017-2019)
- Amelanchier arborea – Downy serviceberry, Common shadbush
- Betula lenta – Sweet birch, Black birch
- Cornus alternifolia – Pagoda dogwood
- Quercus rubra – Red oak
Evergreen trees (2017-2019)
- Juniperus virginiana – Eastern red cedar
2020 Birdy Dozen
Grasses
- Andropogon gerardii – Big Bluestem
Herbaceous
- Eutrochium purpureum (Syn. Eupatorium purpureum) – Purple joe-pye
- Lobelia cardinalis – Cardinal flower; Cardinal lobelia
- Monarda fistulosa – Bergamot
Shrubs
- Alnus serrulata – Black alder, Smooth or common alder
- Ceanothus americanus – New Jersey tea
- Rhus aromatica – Fragrant sumac; Aromatic sumac
- Vaccinium corymbosum – Highbush blueberry
Dioecious shrubs
- Morella pensylvanica (Syn: Myrica pensylvanica) – Northern bayberry
Deciduous trees
- Acer saccharum – Sugar maple
- Prunus serotina – Black cherry
Evergreen trees
- Pinus strobus – White pine
2021 Birdy Dozen
Grasses
- Carex pensylvanica – Pennsylvania sedge
Herbaceous
- Echinacea purpurea – Purple coneflower
- Helianthus maximiliani – Maximilian sunflower
- Senna hebecarpa – Wild senna
- Solidago flexicaulis – Zigzag goldenrod
Vines
- Campsis radicans – Trumpet vine, Trumpet creeper
Shrubs
- Aronia arbutifolia – Red chokeberry
- Cornus sericea (C. stolonifera) – Red osier dogwood
- Corylus americana – American hazelnut
Deciduous trees
- Acer rubrum – Red maple
- Prunus pensylvanica – Pin cherry
- Quercus palustris – Pin oak