This bold, clump-forming perennial, with its showy white plumes in April and May, is a real show stopper. The tiny flowers that make up these plumes attract a variety of small pollinators like tumbling flower beetles, halictid bees, flower longhorn beetles, and hover flies. Flower spikes are borne on separate male and female plants, with the male flowers being a bit showier. As an added bonus, Goatsbeard is resistant to browsing by deer and rabbits and will tolerate growing under black walnut trees.
Conditions: Full sun to part shade; moist, fertile organically rich soil
Size: 4'-6’ tall, 2'-4’ wide
Zone: 4 - 8
Wildlife Value: Flowers attract various pollinators, including small bees and pollinating beetles; larval host to Dusty Azure Butterfly
Photos: David Korbonits, Samantha Nestory