Pictures of Native Plant Seedlings and Spring Emergence

Written by Tara Foster in Native Plants

If you are new to native plants and working to convert your garden areas to natives, learning to be able to identify emerging plants is important. Here we have photos of common native plants as they emerge in Spring. This list will be continually updated as we have time.

If you are seeing a plant in your flowerbeds that you don’t recognize, perhaps take a quick look at our guide for emerging invasive plants and weeds. We have lots of pictures there too.

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For more detail on individual native plants, refer to our NATIVE PLANT PROFILES.

  • CLICK IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW.
  • CLICK COMMON NAME FOR A DETAILED PLANT PROFILE ON EACH PLANT.
COMMON NAMESCIENTIFIC NAMESEEDLING IMAGEEMERGING PLANT IMAGEMATURE PLANT
Anise HyssopAgastache foeniculum
Aromatic AsterAster oblongifoliusAromatic Aster close up blooms
Bald CypressTaxodium distichumBald Cypress seedlingN/A
Bee BalmMonarda didymaBee Balm Seedlings
Big BluestemAndropogon gerardiiBig Bluestem Andropogon gerardii
Black CherryPrunus serotinaN/A
Black Eyed SusanRudbeckia hirtaGrowing Black Eyed Susan in Pots
Blanket FlowerGaillardia grandifloraGaillardia x Grandiflora leaf blanket flower
Blazing StarLiatris spicataLiatris Seedling blazing star gayfeathernative plant flower bed
Blue False IndigoBaptisia australisBlue False Indigo Seedling 1
Baptisia blue false indigo spring emergence
Blue LobeliaLobelia siphilitica
Blue Lobelia Plant Bloom
Blue VervainVerbena hastatablue vervain false sunflower
Boneset, CommonEupatorium perfoliatumCommon Boneset SeedlingsBoneset seedlingsCommon Boneset Ironweed
Boneset, LateEupatorium serotinum
Bradbury’s BeebalmMonarda bradburiana
Brown-Eyed SusanRudbeckia triloba
Butterfly WeedAsclepias tuberosaAsclepias Tuberosa Seedlings Butterfly Weedbutterfly weed emerging from dormancy asclepias tuberosaAsclepias Tuberosa Butterfly Weed
Cardinal FlowerLobelia cardinalisCardinal Flower Blooms native plant garden
Culver’s RootVeronicastrum virginicumCulver's Root seedlings
Eastern Red ColumbineAquilegia canadensiscolumbine seedlings aquilegia canadensisaquilegia Emerging in SpringEastern Red Columbine Aquilegia canadensis
Compass PlantSilphium laciniatum
(Coreopsis) Large Flowered TickseedCoreopsis grandiflora
Tall CoreopsisCoreopsis tripteris
Cup PlantSilphium perfoliatumFull size silphium perfoliatum
Dotted Blazing StarLiatris punctata
Eastern Purple ConeflowerEchinacea purpureaConeflower Seedlings
purple coneflower shoots emerging spring
Purple Coneflower, Echinacea Purpurea
Pale Purple ConeflowerEchinacea pallidapale purple coneflower emerging in springEchinacea Pallida Blooming
Echinacea paradoxa
Tennessee ConeflowerEchinacea tennesseenis
False SunflowerHeliopsis helianthoidesFalse (Early) Sunflower, Heliopsis Helianthoides
Fire PinkSilene virginica
Fleabane Daisy (Showy)
Goldenrod, CanadianSolidago canadensis
Goldenrod, ShowySolidago speciosagoldenrod landscaping
Goldenrod, SweetSolidago odorasolidago odora cotyledon seedlingsweet goldenrod emerging spring
Royal CatchflySilene regia
Foxglove BeardtonguePenstemon digitalis
Garden PhloxPhlox paniculataPhlox paniculata seedling
Giant St. John’s WortHypericum ascyron & Hypericum pyramidatumGiant St. Johns Wort Hypericum pyramidatum
Giant SunflowerHelianthus giganteus
helianthus giganteus giant sunflower
Golden AlexanderZizia aureaGolden Alexander seedlingGolden Alexander bee hotel zizia aurea
Grayhead ConeflowerRatibida pinnata
Hairy BeardtonguePenstemon hirsutushairy beardtongue seedlingHairy Beardtongue Before Bloom
Hairy Wood MintBlephilia hirsutaBlephilia hirsuta
Halberd-Leaf Rose MallowHibiscus laevis
Heart Leaf AsterSymphyotrichum cordifolium
Hoary VervainVerbena stricta
Indian BlanketGaillardia pulchella
Indian TobaccoLobelia inflata
IronweedVernonia baldwinii, Vernonia fafsciculata, Vernonia gigantea, vernonia glauca, Vernonia missurica, Vernonia noveboracensis
Jack in the PulpitArisaema triphyllum
Jacob’s LadderPolemonium reptansJacobs ladder seedlingnative jacobs ladder plant
Joe Pye WeedEutrochium pupurea, Eutrochium maculatum,
Eutrochium fistulosum
Prairie Blazing StarLiatris pycnostachya
Northern LiatrisLiatris scariosa
Tall LarkspurDelphinium Exaltatum
Lanceleaf CoreopsisCoreopsis lanceolatalanceleaf coreopsis seedlingLanceleaf coreopsis foliage
Little BluestemSchizachyrium scopariumLittle Bluestem Seedling
Maximilian SunflowerHelianthus maximilian
Mexican Hat FlowerRatibida columniferaRatibida columnifera
Common MilkweedAsclepias syricaCommon Milkweed 01
Mountain LaurelKalmia latifoliaN/A
Blunt MountainmintPycnanthemum muticumclustered mountainmint in springblunt clustered mountainmint
Hairy Mountain MintPycnanthemum pilosum
Virginia Mountain MintPycnanthemum virginianum
New England AsterSymphyotrichum novae-angliaeNew England Aster Seedlingnew england aster emerging in springNew England Aster in Bloom
New York Ironweed
Vernonia noveboracensis
New York Ironweed
Ninebark, PrairiePhysocarpus opulifolius
Obedient PlantPhysostegia virginiana
Orange Coneflower/ Perennial Black-Eyed SusanRudbeckia fulgida
Orange JewelweedImpatiens capensisImpatiens capensis
Partridge PeaChamaecrista fasciculataPartridge Pea SeedlingPartridge Pea Seedling 2Partridge Pea colony
Pennsylvania SedgeCarex pensylvanica
PersimmonDiospyros virginiana L.
Pink Muhly GrassMuhlenbergia capillarisPink Gulf Muhly Grass in Spring
Plains CoreopsisCoreopsis tinctoriaPlains Coreopsis plant flower 1
Prairie DropseedSporobolus heterolepisPrairie Dropseed seedlingsPrairie Dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis
Prairie PhloxPhlox pilosa
Prairie SmokeGeum triflorum
PokeweedPhytolacca americana
Purple Giant HyssopAgastache scrophulariifoliaAgastache scrophulariaefolia
Purple Prairie CloverDalea purpurea
Purple Top GrassTridens flavusPurple Top Grass Bloom Tridens Flavus
Sawtooth SunflowerHelianthus grosseserratusSawtooth Sunflower seedlings
Self-HealPrunella vulgaris
Short’s AsterSymphyotrichum shortii
Showy Tick TrefoilDesmodium canadense
Sideoats Grama Bouteloua curtipendulaBouteloua curtipendula Sideoats Grama
Smooth Blue AsterSymphyotrichum laeve
SneezeweedHelenium Autumnale
SpicebushLindera benzoin
Spotted Bee BalmMonarda punctataSpotted Bee Balm SeedlingSpotted Bee Balm Monarda punctata
Spring BeautyClaytonia virginicaSpring Beauty Flower Bloom Claytonia Virginica
Swamp MilkweedAsclepias incarnataasclepias incarnata seedlingSwamp Milkweed asclepias incarnata
Turtlehead FlowerChelone glabra
Virginia BluebellsMertensia virginica
White SnakerootAgeratina altissima  or Eupatorium rugosum
Whorled MilkweedAsclepias verticillataasclepias verticillata seedling
Wild BergamotMonarda fistulosa
Wild CucumberEchinocystis lobatawild cucumber vine Echinocystis lobata
Hairy Wild PetuniaRuellia humilis
White SnakerootAgeratina altissima
Wild StrawberryFragaria Virginiana
Wild SunflowerHelianthus annus
Wild VioletViola soroia
Winecup Flower/ Purple Poppy MallowCallirhoe involucrataCallirhoe involucrata Seedlingswine cup flower rabbit damagePurple Poppy Mallow, winecup flower, Callirhoe involucrata along sidewalk
Winterberry HollyIlex verticillata
YarrowAchillea millefolium
Yellow JewelweedImpatiens pallidaImpatiens pallida

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Tara Foster

Hi! I'm Tara, half of the Growit Buildit duo. I am a frugal DIY enthusiast!! My professional background is in education and counseling, but have spent the last few years as a stay at home mom, which has given me the opportunity to explore my passions that have been put aside for so long. I gravitate towards what I'd consider modern farmhouse style, with a little boho mixed in. I have planned remodels for larger projects, like our kitchen, as well as many smaller DIY projects around our house. In addition, I create a lot of smaller craft projects. I am currently a maker for a local retail boutique in our area called 6ix North. I hope my posts provide you with some useful information for your DIY projects.

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