The Gray’s Creek Native Plant Demonstration Site showcases many of Ontario’s great native species. Visitors can discover more than 20 different native wildflowers, trees, and shrubs. Learn more below:
 

Flat-Topped White Aster
Scientific name: Doellingeria umbellate

Flat-topped white aster is a perennial wildflower that produces small, daisy-like flowers consisting of 5-12 petals that appear in flat, branching clusters, and dark green, lance-shaped leaves. It is one of the first aster species to bloom, between August and September, and attracts a wide variety of pollinators like bees, butterflies, and ants. You can find flat-topped white asters growing in moist thickets, woods, and swamp edges. 

Flat-topped white aster grows best in moist soil conditions with full or part sun. It prefers a well-draining soil of loam or sand. It can reach one metre in height. This species’ roots make it a great species for stabilizing and controlling shoreline erosion. Flat-topped white aster can spread through rhizomes and has the capability to self-seed. Unwanted shoots can be removed to avoid overcrowding and deadheading spent flowers can reduce self-seeding.

 

Tall Meadow Rue
Scientific name: Thalictrum pubescens 

Tall meadow rue is a perennial wildflower that has compound, light green leaflets oblong in shape and have three, pointed lobes. It produces 30 cm long clusters of small, white flowers that bloom from June to August, visited by bees and butterflies. Tall meadow can be found growing along stream banks, shorelines, meadows, marshes, swamps, and more. 

Tall meadow rue can grow up to two metres in height. It prefers to grow in moist, rich, and well-draining soils. Though it can stand to be planted in full sun, this plant thrives in part-shade. Tall meadow rue has a dense root system, making it ideal for shoreline plantings, and spreads through the rhizomes on its roots.  

 

Fringed Sedge
Scientific name: Carex crinite

Fringed sedge is a perennial sedge species that forms dense clumps (called tussocks) of leafy stems. Each stem is strap-like green leaves, around 40 cm long and 2 cm wide, that are rough in texture. Fringed sedge produces an inflorescence, a tiny cluster of flowers on a central stem, consisting of small, green-brown flowers arranged in dense clusters at the tips of the stems. In wetland ecosystems, fringed sedge provides a soured of food and shelter for wetland wildlife, with its seeds feeding wildlife and its dense clumps being used as nesting sites for birds, mammals and amphibians.

Fringed sedge can reach a height of approximately one metre in height. It prefers moist or wet soils in various light conditions. Fringed sedge is a great species for erosion control given its dense root system. 

 

Miterwort
Scientific name: Mitella diphylla

Miterwort is a woodland perennial with a slender, elongated cluster of tiny, white flowers with five fringed petals, about 4 mm wide, arranged on a long leafless stem above other leaved stems that bloom from April to June. This low growing perennial reaches between 20-45 cm with a spread of 20 cm. 

Miterwort thrives in dry to moist soils in shady areas. This plant spreads slowly through its root rhizomes, forming clumps that can fill in bare areas. As such, miterwort is used as effective ground cover. Its small seeds can also spread after being knocked off their stems, further adding to their spread. 

 

Purple-Stem Angelica
Scientific name: Angelica atropurpurea

Purple-stem angelica is a perennial plant that can reach 180 cm tall. This plant has straight, branching stems, resembling celery stalks, that are smooth, hollow and purple in colour. Its compound leaves contain three to five leaflets per leaf that are oval with serrated edges. Purple-stem angelica blooms from June to September, producing white, globe shaped flower clusters that reach up to 30 cm in diameter.

Purple-stem angelica prefers moist soils and partial shade, often being found along riverbanks and other wet areas. This plant is often mistaken for giant hogweed, an invasive plant native to Eurasia. Purple-stem angelica can be differentiated from giant hogweed using its stem, which is hairless compared to the hairy stem of giant hogweed. The stalks of this plant have been eaten like celery by early settlers.

Selfheal:
Scientific name: Prunella vulgaris

Selfheal, also known as Heal-all, is a low growing perennial wildflower that reaches 15 – 30 cm in height as it spreads along the ground through its roots. It is easily recognized by its square stem that contain small purple flowers, 1.5 cm in diameter, arranged on a spiked stem, blooming from May to September. Its leaves and long, up to 7.5 cm, varying from lance-shaped to oval. Selfheal is commonly found within lawns, fields, and roadsides. 

Selfheal likes to grow in moist soil conditions in either full sun or part shade. The common name of selfheal is derived from the plant’s historic use as an herbal remedy for a variety of throat ailments.

Fox Sedge
Scientific name: Carex vulpinoidea

Fox sedge is a highly adaptable species of sedge that grows in clumps around 60 cm tall and wide. In mid-summer, this species produces brownish-yellow seed heads resembling a small fox tail, that wave in the wind. Its long, strips of lime green leaves, coupled with its seed heads, make it a great ornamental plant for gardens. Fox sedge also benefits wildlife, acting as a host plant for butterflies and moths, and its seeds feeding many songbirds. 

Fox sedge grows the best in wet soils, including in areas that are seasonally flooded, and can handle full sun to part shade. You can commonly see fox sedge growing in wetlands, wet meadows, and along water retention ponds. 

Swamp Milkweed
Scientific name: Asclepias incarnata

Swamp milkweed is a perennial wildflower species that typically reaches a height of around one metre tall. Its leaves are light green in colour, narrow, lance-shaped, and arranged oppositely on each stem. Blooming between June and August, swamp milkweed produces bright pink flowers, 6 mm wide, arranged in clusters on flowering stems. Like all milkweeds, swamp milkweeds produce a milky sap when broken that acts as a defense mechanism against herbivores due to its toxic compounds. This sap is critically important to the endangered monarch butterfly, as when ingested by monarch caterpillars, it makes their bodies taste bitter and poisonous to predators such as birds and spiders.

Swamp milkweed prefers to grow in moist to wet soils in either full sun or part sun. Tolerant of seasonally flooded areas, swamp milkweed can often be found growing in wet fields, along shorelines, and within wetlands like swamps and bogs.

Wild Columbine
Scientific name: Aquilegia canadensis

Wild columbine is a woodland wildflower species that has showy, drooping, bell-like flowers that bear a distinct backwards pointing spurs, that bloom from Apil to July. These spurs contain nectar hat attract hummingbirds and long-tongued insects, making the species a popular choice in gardens. Wild columbine can reach 30 to 60 cm in height, and have light green compound leaves,10-15 cm, made up of 9 to 27 three-lobed leaflets. 

Wild columbine grows the best in moist soils that are rich in organics and well draining but can tolerate rocky soils with some drought. You can find wild columbine growing in wet or dry forests, open slopes, along stream or lake shorelines, and wetlands like fens or bogs. Wild columbine is a host plant for the columbine duskywing, a species of butterfly.

Calico Aster
Scientific name: Symphyotrichum lateriflorum

Calico aster is a perennial wildflower and one of the most common native aster species in Ontario. They can reach up to 150 cm in height and are commonly found in fields or thickets. Calico asters, which bloom between August and October, produce small compound flowers, called inflorescences, which are clusters of tiny individual flowers packed tightly together that mimic a single, larger flower. Calico asters have white or pale purple ray flowers that surround yellow or purplish-red central disks of flowers.  

Calico aster is adaptable to a wide range of soil types and moisture levels but does prefer part-shade. This species is important for pollinators during late summer and fall, after many species have already flowered. 

Zigzag Goldenrod
Scientific name: Solidago flexicaulis

Zigzag goldenrod is a woodland goldenrod species that typically grows upright, reaching up to 90 cm in height. The zigzag in its name comes from its stems, which grow in a characteristic zigzag pattern. Zigzag goldenrod produces small, bright yellow flowers that are clustered on the upper part of its stems and bloom from July to September. Its leaves are broad, oval, and coarsely toothed. The leaves get smaller the higher on the stem they are.

Zigzag goldenrod grows best in shady areas, with medium to dry moister, in a variety of soil types. It can spread booth slowly through its rhizomatous roots or slightly faster by seed. Zigzag goldenrod is a favourite among bumblebees. The entire goldenrod genus has long been wrongfully accused of causing hay fever which is actually an allergic reaction to wind blown pollen from other plants such as ragweed.

Blue-Stemmed Goldenrod
Scientific name: Solidago caesia

Blue-stemmed goldenrod is a woodland goldenrod species that can reach around 90 cm tall. This species features a smooth, purplish-blue arching stem that is covered in small, bright yellow clusters of flowers that bloom from August to October. Its leaves are long, elliptical, taper off at both ends, with serrated edges. You can commonly find blue-stemmed goldenrod growing within woods, thickets, and open clearings.

Blue-stemmed goldenrod grows best in shade to part-shade in rich, moist soils, though it can tolerate rocky soils. It forms small clumps but does not spread aggressively, making it a perfect addition to any garden as it provides pollinators with a late season source of nectar.

Snowberry
Scientific name: Symphoricarpos albus

Snowberry is a small shrub known for the small, white bunches of berries it produces in the late summer into winter. The leaves of this species are dark green, ovular, and oppositely arranged on short stalks. Snowberry can grow to reach up to 2 m in height and gradually forms a thicket of 1.8 metres wide. While poisonous to humans, its berries provide a good source of food to a variety of animals such as cedar waxwings, hermit thrushes, or American robins.

Snowberry grows best in full sun to part-shade and is able to adapt to a wide range of soil types, including heavy clay soils and rocky or gravelly soils. Snowberry does not tolerate overly wet soils, however.  Snowberry is often used in shoreline stabilization projects due to its vigorous root system.

Hobblebush
Scientific name: Viburnum lantanoides

Hobblebush is a shrub species that typically grows between 2 to 4 m in height. Its leaves are large, loosely heart-shaped leaves with prominent veins, that turn a bright red in the fall. This shrub has clusters if small, white flowers, that are quite fragrant. The inner flowers tend to be much smaller than the outer flowers, and bloom in May to June. Pollinators, like bees and butterflies are attracted to its blooms and small mammals and birds eat the seeds.

Hobblebush grow best in average to moist soils with full or part sun. It prefers a well draining soil like sand or loam but can adapt to other conditions such as rocky soils. You can find hobblebush naturally growing along shorelines, swamps or marshes, and moist forests. Hobblebush got its name thanks to its branches, that may bend and take root in the soil, which can trip or cause you to hobble as you walk by.

 

Red Osier Dogwood
Scientific name: Cornus sericea

Red osier dogwood is a hardy, medium-sized shrub that reached between 2 – 3 m in height and width. It has oppositely arranged, ovular, dark green leaves, that turn a reddish-purple colour in the fall. This dogwood produces small clusters of white flowers in late spring that provide bees and butterflies with nectar. These flowers develop into clusters of white berries that offer a food source to birds such as woodpeckers, grey catbird, and more. A defining characteristic of red osier dogwood is its young stems turning a stunning red colour in the winter. 

Red osier dogwood grows best in moist, well draining soils, in full or part sun. This shrub is also drought tolerant. It has an extensive root system that helps with erosion control along slopes and shorelines. 

Balsam Fir
Scientific name: Abies balsamea

Balsam fir is a large coniferous tree that is tall and narrow and tapers to a skinny point at the top, reaching 30 m in height. It has short needles, between 2 – 4 cm long, that are a dark and shiny green with two white bands on their undersides. Its bark is greyish in colour and covered in sap blisters. Balsam fir provides a great food source to a variety of animals, with porcupines known to feed on their bark, squirrels will hide their cones, and several species of birds will feed on their seeds. Balsam fir is often used as a Christmas tree due to their nice smell and needles that hang on long after the tree has been cut down.

Balsam fir is a very adaptable tree that grows in a variety of soil types and all moisture levels. It can grow in both sun and shade. The roots of balsam fir do tend to be more shallow than other species and as such can blow down during extreme wind events. As such, balsam fir is best planted in a sheltered area.

Silver Maple
Scientific name: Acer saccharinum

Silver maple is a large deciduous maple species that can reach 35 m tall with a trunk of more than 100 cm in diameter. It has light green leaves, 15 to 20 cm long that have 5 or 7 lobes. Very similar to red maple, the leaves of silver maple turn a pale yellow or brown in the fall, rather than red. Silver maple is a great food source for squirrels, beaver and deer, and provides habitat for birds and other small animals in the trunk hollows and crown.

Silver maple grows best in moist soil. It is slightly shade tolerant but grows best in full sun. Silver maple is a large tree and requires proper space. Silver maple is a quick growing species and if often planted to provide shade. 

Sycamore
Scientific name: Latanus occidentalis

Sycamore is a large deciduous tree that can reach 35 m tall and can live to be 250 years old. Its leaves are reminiscent of maples, but have prominent, encircling “stipules” or leaf-like attachments at the base of the leaf stalk. Sycamore can be easily identified in all seasons by its bark, which flakes off in large patches to reveal white, green, and cream-coloured inner bark. It produces ball shaped clusters of flowers that mature into fruit (seeds). Though not a major food source for wildlife, sycamore trees provide habitat and shade.

Sycamore grows best in moist soils and can tolerate seasonal flooding. They can tolerate heavy clay soils but prefer growing in richer soils, in part-shade or full sun. Sycamore do require plenty of space to grow as they can be one of the largest broadleaf trees in eastern North America. Sycamore is classified as a Carolinian species, which due to climate change, have steadily made their way further north. These climate-resilient species have been planted more often to adapt to changing climate conditions in the area.

Purple-Flowering Raspberry
Scientific name: Rubus odoratus

Purple flowering raspberry is a medium-sized, thornless raspberry species, that reaches 1.8 m in height with a spread of 2 – 3.5 m. It produces showy purple flowers that bloom from June to August, and its leaves are maple-like in shape. Once pollinated, its fruit is very popular by birds and other wildlife. Though edible for humans, the fruit lacks much flavour. 

Purple flowering raspberry grows best in medium to moist soil that will well draining, though it will tolerate a wide range of growing conditions, such as shade and poor soils. It grows well at woodland edges. 

Black Eyed Susan
Scientific name: Rudbeckia hirta

Black-eyed Susan is what is referred to as a biennial wildflower, meaning that it completes its biological life cycle over two years. They spend the first year growing roots and foliage, and the second flowering and producing seed, dying off at the end of fall and relies on self seeding to persist in the environment. Black-eyed Susan grows between 30 – 90 cm in height, with a course, rough stem and long lance-shaped and covered with bristly hairs, grey green in colour. It produces composite flowers that are comprised of golden coloured rays surrounding a brown central disk in June to October.

Black-eyed Susan grows well in dry to moist soil conditions with full or part sun and can tolerate drought and deer grazing. This plant is often found in fields, prairies, and open woods. It is a great plant for wildlife, providing bees and butterflies with nectar and food to small mammals and birds with its seeds.

Little Bluestem
Scientific name: Schizachyrium scoparium

Little bluestem is a native grass species that grows about 90 cm high and 60 cm wide. It gets its name from the bluish colour of the stem bases in the spring. Its blades, 25 cm long and 4 cm wide, turn a striking orange tan in the fall that persists into the winter. Little bluestem does produce flowers that are grouped together in a specialized structure called a spikelet, that appear as spike-like clusters on the tips of its stems. These spikelets are a valuable food source for small birds in the winter.

Little bluestem is an extremely drought tolerant grass that can handle poor soil conditions and does well in full sun. It’s root system also makes it a great species for erosion control. You can find little bluestem growing in old fields, prairies, and open woods. 

Dense Blazing Star
Scientific name: Liatris spicata

Dense blazing star is a perennial wildflower that grows to be anywhere between 30 to 180 cm long, depending on where it is planted. It has numerous, crowded leaves, about 30 cm long, that get progressively smaller as they ascend the stem. Dense blazing star has a tall spike of rayless (lacking the petal-like found around the edge of flowers like daisies) purple flowers closely bunched together along its stems that bloom from July to September. 

Dense blazing star grows in full sun and does not do well with shade. It grows in medium to moist soils that drain well. This species will fill out as it grows in dense clumps. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are attracted to its blooms. The style of its flowers gives it an overall feathery appearance, which has also given it an occasional alternate name of gay feather.

Early Goldenrod
Scientific name: Solidago juncea

Early goldenrod is a resilient, perennial wildflower species that can reach up to 1 m in height. It has narrow, lance shaped leaves that are alternatively arranged on its stems. Early goldenrod produces small, bright yellow, flashy flowers that are arranged in dense clusters, appearing plume-like, that bloom between July and August. As its name suggests, early goldenrod is one of the first goldenrod species to bloom in the year.

Early goldenrod grows best in normal to dry moisture conditions in full to part-sun. It prefers well draining soil types such as loam or sand. Early goldenrod can tolerate drought, deer grazing, and different soil types like clayey or rocky soils. You can commonly find early goldenrod growing within prairies, open fields, and within disturbed areas like ditches or roadsides. 

Grey goldenrod
Scientific name: Solidago nemoralis

Grey goldenrod is a low growing goldenrod species that reaches just under 60 cm in height. It has long, thin, coarsely toothed leaves. Grey goldenrod produces small, showy, bright yellow flowers clustered on stems in the fall, between August and September. These flowers are long-lasting, persisting into the late fall when other species have stopped blooming, which provide a vital nectar source to pollinators. Grey goldenrod got its name from the white fuzzy texture on its leaves and stems, giving it a grey appearance. 

Grey goldenrod grows best in in full sun in dry to average moisture levels. It is a very hardy species that can grow in places where little else is able to grow, in all soil types. Grey goldenrod can be found naturally in dry woodlands and meadows. This species can spread slowly through rhizomes on its roots and also may self-seed. 

New England Aster
Scientific name: Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

New England aster is a one of the most common aster species, reaching a height of between 90 – 120 cm depending on growing conditions. It is a large, stout, hairy, leafy plant, that is often found growing in wet thickets, meadows, and swamps. It produces showy, bright-purple composite flowers, 2.5 – 5 cm wide, composed of 35 – 45 purple ray flowers surrounding yellow-orange disk flowers. New England aster attracts bees and other pollinators and is a larval host plant for many species of butterflies and moths. 

New England aster thrives in rich, moist soils with full sun to part-shade. However, this species is quite adaptable and can still grow in areas where the conditions are not as ideal. This species tends to clump together but can self-seed when planted in an area with bare soil. 

Bottle Gentian
Scientific name: Gentiana andrewsii

Bottle gentian is a perennial wildflower that reaches 30 – 60 cm in height. It has long, 10cm, oval to lance-shaped leaves that are arranged in whorls (rings) around the stem right under the flower clusters. Bottle gentian produces very unique flowers from August to October. These flowers are bottle-like, cylindrical, and remain nearly closed at the tip even at full bloom. The flowers will then turn into a papery capsule that split open to release its seeds, each with a papery wing that allows it to be carried by the wind. Bumblebees are the main pollinator of bottle gentian, that are able to wiggle their way into the closed flower.

Bottle gentian grows best in medium to wet loamy soils in full sun to part shade. You can find bottle gentian in the wild growing in moist thickets, meadows, and along shorelines. Bottle gentian is slow growing and low maintenance flower. 

Viginia Wild Rye
Scientific name: Elymus virginicus

Virginia wild rye is a perennial grass species that can reach 1.5 m in height and clumps together to form loose colonies as it grows. It has long, bright green leaf blades and produces a distinct seed head that is wispy in appearance. This grass turns a nice shade of tan in the fall. Canadian wild rye provides nesting habitat for birds, and nectar for pollinators. 

Virginia wild rye grows best in moist to wet soils in full to part sun and can tolerate seasonal flooding. It has a dense root system which make it ideal for plantings along shorelines and banks to control erosion.  

Red maple
Scientific name: Acer rubrum
Red maple is a large deciduous tree that can reach 25 m height with a trunk that can reach 1 m in diameter. It is characterized by its leaves that turn a bright red in the fall. These leaves can be distinguished from other maples such as sugar maple and silver maple by the sharp V-shaped notches that separate the 3 – 5 lobes of each leaf, instead of a u-shape notch of other species. Red maple has smooth light grey bark when young that darkens to a greyish brown with flakey peeling ridges with age. 

Red maple grows best in wet soils in a variety of soil textures in full sun. It can also tolerate some drought. This tree is easy to grow and are often used as an ornamental tree due to their fall colours. Red maple has been used for flooring, furniture, boxes, musical instruments and more. Its sap can also be used for maple syrup, though it is less sweet and required a larger amount to boil down.

Northern Hackberry
Scientific name: Celtis occidentalis

Northern hackberry is a deciduous shrub that reaches 15 m high with a trunk of 50 cm in diameter. Its leaves are bluish green in colour, 6 to 9 cm in length, with toothed margins. They are arranged alternatively arranged in two rows along the twigs. Its bark is grey to light brown with distinct and irregular ridges. Hackberry produces small, green flowers, pollinated by wind, that give way to red to purple berries with a stone pit that persist throughout the winter. These fruits are a good food source for wildlife, especially birds and small mammals. 

Northern hackberry grow best in moist, well-draining soils in full sun. It is adaptable to many soil types and can tolerate some flooding and drought conditions. Historically, the wood from this tree was used for barrel hoops and flooring for pioneer cabins. 

Yellow birch 
Scientific name: Betula alleghaniensis

Yellow birch is Ontario’s largest native birch species, reaching up to 25 m in height. They have deep yellowish-green oval leaves that are 8 to 11 cm long. Yellow birch gets its name from its characteristic bark, which is thin, shinny and reddish brown when young, but darkens to a bronze colour as it matures. Yello birch produce flowers called catkins, which are long, slim, drooping clusters of tiny flowers. These catkins form late in the summer and stay on the tree all winter, which are a great food source for birds and mammals.

Yellow birch prefers moist, rich soils in full sun, though it is somewhat shade tolerant. The wood from this tree has been used for furniture, doors, cabinets, plywood, and more. Yellow birch sap can be boiled down in the spring to make syrups or fermented to make beer. 

Red Oak
Scientific name: Quercus rubra

Red oak is a medium-sized deciduous tree that can reach 20 to 30 m high with a trunk measuring 30 to 90 cm in diameter. They have dark green leaves, 10 to 20 cm long, that have 7 to 9 sharp, pointed lobes with bristly tips. Its bark is smooth and dark grey when young that developed deep ridges with age. Red oak produces yellow-green catkins in the spring that give way to round acorns with a scaley shallow cap that covers less than a quarter of the acorn, differentiating it from other oak species.

Red oak is an adaptable species that tolerates a variety of soil types and moisture levels. It grows best in full sun but can tolerate some shade. Red oak does need rooms to grow to so be sure to plant away from competing trees. Oak trees have been suffering from oak wilt, caused by an invasive fungus that has been found in Southern Ontario. To help reduce the spread of this fungus, oaks should be pruned before April or after July, when the beetles that likely transport the fungus are less active. 
 

 

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