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September Tree of the Month-Eastern hop hornbeam
Commonly called Eastern hop-hornbeam, or American hop hornbeam, Ostrya virginiana is a deciduous tree native to the forests of Eastern North America south to Mexico. In the wild, it lives as an understory…
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September Shrub of the Month-St. John’s wort
The genus Hypericum includes 490 species distributed around the globe. Part of this worldwide range is due to the prolific reproductive traits some species possess. Missouri records show 16 of these species, including…
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August Tree of the Month-Swamp White Oak
Soaring up to 60 ’ and living up to 300 years, the swamp white oak, Quercus bicolor, is one of Missouri’s grandest native trees. Like other oaks in the White Group, it has…
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August Perennial of the Month-Tickseed
One of the most commonly used native perennials is Coreopsis, commonly called tickseed. Multiple species of coreopsis are native to Missouri and beyond, along with dozens of cultivars that have hit the market…
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Garden-Lou Spotlight on the Sue & Andy Leahy Garden
Picture a hummingbird hovering at a Cardinal flower, its wings a blur but its intent direct and defined against the scarlet native plant. That was the “A-Ha” moment when Sue Leahy realized the…
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June Tree of the Month-Washington Hawthorn
The name is deceiving; Washington hawthorns, Crataegus phaenopyrum, are not native to the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Their native range runs from Virginia to Missouri, Arkansas, and Alabama. (The common name is attributed to…
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June Perennial of the Month-Butterfly Weed
My husband loves orange. I knew this going in, but married him anyway. We’re not just talking about the random orange shirt or fun socks… we are talking everything from his car down…
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May Tree of the Month-American Chestnut
The American chestnut, Castanea dentata, is a tree with incredible stories to tell. Tales of diverse forests full of their ancestors soaring 75-100’ high. Tales full of Native Americans who coexisted with those…
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May Perennial of the Month-Foxglove Beardtongue
“Elegant” is seldom a word you hear used to describe a native prairie plant. When it comes to Penstemon digitalis, commonly called foxglove beardtongue, I don’t think there is a more elegant perennial…
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Highlights from the St. Louis Native Plant Tour
Sunday, May 17th, 2026 The Wild Ones St. Louis chapter and Bring Conservation Home partnered to present the annual St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour once again last Sunday. The self-guided tour featured…
