Happy National Public Lands Day

In celebration of National Public Lands Day, we encourage you to get out and explore your closest designated National Park, Historic Site, Recreational Area, Monument, Military Park, Seashore, Scenic Trail, or Reserve, and take in the natural beauty that has been preserved within our local seven-state region.

Below, we’re listing some selections for a whopping 21 of our local National Public Lands. Not only might these selections be found growing within these zones, but they make excellent options for future planting projects within the surrounding areas of these public lands if paying homage to the local flora and fauna is a post-installation ecological concern.

Click here for an interactive map of our local National Public Lands, helpful for planning your next daytrip and checking out the purple mountains’ majesties and amber waves of grain for yourself.

It's important to note that many of the plants listed below have an incredibly broad and extended range throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, making them virtually adaptable to sites in each of the seven states listed below. They are all recommended native plant selections as per State Extensions, Universities, and the folks over at Homegrown National Park. The incorporation of native plants in our natural lands and cultivated landscapes, as many of us well know, is a critical resolution to a healthy ecosystem and the support of biodiversity from the soil to the sky.

CONNECTICUT

          Coltsville NHP (CT)

          Weir Farm NHP (CT)

                                Plant selections: Aster novae-angliae (syn. Symphyotrichum novae-angliaea) | New England aster

                                                                Aster divaricatus (syn. Eurybia divaricata)

                                                                Lobelia cardinalis | Cardinal flower

                                                                Aquilegia canadensis | Eastern Columbine

                                                                Asclepias incarnata | rose milkweed

 

DELAWARE

          First State NHP (DE)

          New Castle Courthouse & The Green (DE)

                The Green (DE)

                                Plant selections: Cercis canadensis | Eastern redbud

                                                                Asclepias tuberosa | butterfly weed

                                                                Monarda fistulosa | wild bergamot

                                                                Geranium maculatum | spotted cranesbill

 

MARYLAND

          Catoctin Mountain Park (MD)

                Hampton NHS (MD)

                Harpers Ferry NHP (MD/VA/WV)

Potomac Heritage NST (MD)

                                Plant selections: Polystichum acrostichoides | Christmas fern

                                                                Athryium filix-femina

                                                                Asarum canadense | wild ginger

                                                                Baptisia australis | false wild indigo

                                                                Penstemon digitalis | foxglove beardtongue        

 

NEW JERSEY

          Morristown NHP (NJ)

          New Jersey Pinelands N RES (NJ)

                Paterson Great Falls NHP (NJ)

                                Plant selections: Vaccinium angustifolium | lowbush blueberry

                                                                Vaccinium corymbosum | highbush blueberry

                                                                Gaultheria procumbens | wintergreen

                                                                Rudbeckia hirta | black-eyed Susan

                                                                Coreopsis lanceolata | lance leaf coreopsis

                                                                Scirpus cyperinus | woolgrass

                                                                Ceanothus americanus | New Jersey tea

                                                               

NEW YORK

          Fire Island NS (NY)

          National Parks of New York Harbor: Sandy Hook Unit/Staten Island Unit/Jamaica Bay Unit (NY)

                Sagamore Hill NHS (NY)

                                Plant selections: Vernonia novaboracensis | New York ironweed

                                                                Ilex verticillata | winterberry holly

                                                                Panicum virgatum | switchgrass

                                                                Schizachyrium scoparium | little bluestem

                                                                Tiarella cordifolia | foamflower

                                                                Heuchera americana | coral bells

                                                                Phlox subulata | moss phlox

 

PENNSYLVANIA

          Delaware Water Gap NRA (PA/NJ)

                Gettysburg NMP (PA)

          Hopewell Furnace NHS (PA)

          Lower Delaware NWSR (PA/NJ)

                Valley Forge NHP (PA)

                             Plant selections: Lindera benzoin | spicebush

                                                                                Hydrangea quercifolia | oakleaf hydrangea

                                                                                Chrysogonum virginianum | green-and-gold

                                                                                Dicentra eximia | wild bleeding heart

                                                                                Solidago speciosa | showy goldenrod

                                                                                Veronicastrum virginicum | Culver’s root

                                                                                Sorghastrum nutans | indiangrass

                                                                               

VIRGINIA

                Prince William Forest Park (VA)

                                Cornus florida | flowering dogwood

                                Mertensia virginica | Virginia bluebells

                                Actaea racemosa | black cohosh

                                Calycanthus floridus | sweetshrub

                                Liatris spicata | blazing star

                                Rosa virginiana | Virginia rose

 Plant Lists - The Native Plant Society of New Jersey (npsnj.org)

Delaware Native Plants List: 11 Stunning Local Garden Choices | My Home Park - Curated Native Gardens Delivered to Your Door - Free Garden Design

Connecticut Native Plants List: 14 Beautiful Flower Garden Choices | My Home Park - Curated Native Gardens Delivered to Your Door - Free Garden Design

audubon_-_best_native_plants_for_nys_4has_letterhead_-_pdf.pdf

Pennsylvania Native Plants for the Perennial Garden (psu.edu)

30 Native Virginia Flowers, Plants, and Wildflowers - Petal Republic