Amur honeysuckle is a massively-branched, perennial shrub with dark green leaves, aromatic white flowers, and luscious burgundy berries that are inedible to humans but relished by birds propagating the seeds. This East Asian native shrub has been utilized in landscape decoration, wildlife cover, and erosion control. However, it is no longer recommended for planting due to invasiveness issues.

Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) is a small understory tree native to North America. In spring or early summer clusters of purple-pink flowers appear on bare branches and sometimes on the trunk. The characteristic seed pod reveals that Eastern redbud belongs to the legume family, which makes it a cousin to peas, and locust trees.

Pawpaw (*Asimina triloba*) is a small tree native to the eastern United States. Pawpaw is mentioned in many American folk songs, and it is the state fruit of Ohio. Many United States cities are named after the pawpaw.

Common sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is a deciduous tree commonly found on woodland edges, fields, along roadsides, and fence rows. This plant has a long history of use in Native American traditions, most commonly for culinary purposes. Common sassafras root was also a key flavoring for homemade root beers in the past, though the use is largely discontinued due to concerns that the safrole contained within is carcinogenic.

The tulip poplar is not a poplar at all but is a member of the magnolia family. It gets its name from the tulip-shaped flowers that are green and yellow. It is the tallest Eastern hardwood and was prized by Native Americans as a favorite tree to use to make dugout canoes.

With only two leaves and one flower, the mayapple is showy and unique. The name stems from the blooming time in the Northern Hemisphere and the fact that the flowers resemble those of apple trees. The fruit of the mayapple that develops over the summer can, if fully ripened, be used in jams and jellies, while the unripe fruit and other parts of this plant are all poisonous and could cause vomiting, diarrhea, and even coma.

Hibiscus syriacus is a deciduous shrub with trumpet-shaped pink, lavender, or white flowers. Although it was first collected by Western botanists from Syrian gardens, “rose of sharon” is native to south-central and southeastern China. Because of its hardiness and prolific blooming, it is cultivated all around the world. It is the national flower of South Korea, mentioned in its national anthem.

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is a small North American tree renowned for its wide canopy and plentiful spring blooms. Individual white or pink “flower” is actually a flower head that contains four oval bracts and a cluster of tiny yellow true flowers. Because of its decorative canopy, prolific spring blooming, and attractive red autumn leaves and berries, it is the most popular native tree in US gardens.

The trumpet creeper is a flowering plant that climbs as it grows. It gets its nickname from its bright flowers, which are shaped like long trumpet bells. The shape matches them well with the hummingbirds that love to visit for the nectar. The trumpet creeper is originally native to eastern North America.

When you're around white snakeroot, it is a good idea to exercise caution. This plant contains a toxin called tremetol which causes a potentially fatal illness. What’s more, if animals who are lactating eat white snakeroot, the tremetol is secreted in the milk and can be passed on to humans in this way. Many early European settlers are suspected to have died of this so-called "milk-sickness" before they understood the plant's hazards.

Black cherry (Prunus serotina) is a medium-sized, deciduous forest tree native to the Americas, but also naturalized in parts of Europe. It features inflorescence with small white blooms that become clusters of dark cherries, edible when pitted. Mature trees have gray-to-black, distinctly crackled bark. The glossy leaves are poisonous to livestock. It is a highly reproductive pioneer species with invasive potential.

Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is a highly ornamental small tropical tree or shrub, often multi-stemmed. It is native to India, Southeastern Asia, and Japan, and features a characteristic vase-shaped crown and beautifully-ruffled pink blooms that can last from early summer to autumn. It is also a popular nesting shrub for small birds.

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is an herb native to North America that flourishes in prairie environments or open wooded areas. The purple coneflower makes a good addition to a flower bed or garden because its blooms last the whole summer and attract pollinators such as bees and hummingbirds.

The common blue violet is an attractive wildflower known for its blue to purplish white hues. It is common in North America, where it is sometimes associated with a weed. The plant is popular as an ornamental, and it is a state flower in several states in the US. Its flowers and leaves are edible and safe to be planted near pets.

The bradford pear is native to China but is considered invasive in the U.S. and Australia. Although it does not self-pollinate, it can become invasive by hybridizing with other plants to create fertile fruits that may seed in natural areas. The bradford pear creates large populations of fruits that are spread by birds and animals, readily rooting in disturbed areas. It also forms thick colonies that may compete with other native species for natural resources. Alternative plants include the Trident Maple and the Serviceberry. The bradford pear can be controlled by manually pulling young plants, and a range of herbicides such as oil-based herbicides, foliar herbicides, and both basal bark and stump treatments. It is important to remove seed sources as the weed can reinvade areas where it has been previously removed.

While Asclepias tuberosa is commonly referred to as butterfly weed, it is also known as Canada root, Indian posy, silky swallow-wort, yellow milkweed, butterfly love, white-root and a variety of other names. Both Native Americans and pioneers would use the butterfly weed to make candle wicks.

Virginia springbeauty (Claytonia virginica) has tiny underground tubers (kind of like potatoes) that taste like chestnuts and are utterly delicious. Early American colonists consumed them, but only when they were desperate because it took a lot of time to collect enough for a meal. Its genus name is in honor of John Clayton, who made essential contributions to the study of plants.

White clover (Trifolium repens) is a perennial herb, one of the most cultivated species of clover. It can be found on lawns and grasslands all over the world. White clover is often cultivated as a forage plant and used for green manure in agriculture.

The bigleaf hydrangea is a deciduous shrub native to Japan, and is known for its lush, oval, colorful inflorescence. The two types of Hydrangea macrophylla are mopheads - with large, ball-shaped, sterile flower clusters, and lace capes - with small round fertile flowers in the center, and sterile flowers on the outer side of each inflorescence. Depending on soil pH, blooms can change color from pink to blue.

The spotted touch-me-not is a wildflower that is native to North America with bright orange flowers that have darker orange or red spots. The spotted touch-me-not gets its “touch me not” name because when seed pods are mature, the lightest touch caused them to expel their seeds in a reaction called dehiscence.