Coastal Joe Pye Weed is an herbaceous perennial that can grow up to 5 feet tall. This is one of the smaller plants in the genus. It is loved by all kinds of pollinators, such as Eastern Tiger Swallowtails and Carpenter Bees. The pale pink to purple flowers open late summer to early fall, and the fruit that follows is nutritious for songbirds before winter. It is tolerant of deer, salt, and high moisture, being found in the wild in coastal swamps. The leaves will crisp if allowed to dry out. Safe for pets.

White Oak is the classic oak tree.  It is a large, long-live tree found throughout the Eastern US.  A keystone species, oaks are host plants for at least 452 species of butterflies and moths!  More than 180 different kinds of birds and mammals use oak acorns as food.

Tupelo, or Black Gum, is a deciduous tree that is often found around ponds, lakes and swampy areas.  Tupelo flowers are an important source of nectar for bees, honeybees make tupelo honey from it.  Tupelos produce blue-black fruits that support birds.   During the Fall, its shiny leaves are striking reds and purples.  

These evergreen trees are very adaptable and can tolerate heat, cold, dry, wet, salt and windy conditions. The scale-like needles are attractive in all seasons.  In late summer and fall, female junipers have blue-green berry-like fruits, actually modified cones, that attract birds.

Easy growing light purple flowers bloom later in the season providing pollen sources for many bees and other insects.  Smooth Aster will flourish in mediocre and poor quality, rocky soils.  Works well in garden borders and neglected areas.

Forms clumps of stiff upright stems bearing flowers in a candelabra shape with a long bloom season.  Pinch the tops to encourage branching and a bushier growth habit.  Spreads slowly through roots and self-seeding. Use in moist sites such as around ponds and in rain gardens. 

An easily grown, attractive, deciduous vine. In the fall, the leaves turn  bright red and make a showy contrast with its blue berries. Unlike some climbing vines, it adheres via adhesive discs rather than penetrating rootlets. Will easily climb deer netting. May be grown as a ground cover.

The leaves have a bluish cast in the summer, with finely-textured, pink-tinged, branched flower seed heads that hover over the foliage like a cloud. Leaves turn a bright yellow in the fall.

This easy going shrub is semi-evergreen and its attractive leaves turn reddish during the fall. Its waxy yellow-green fruits are bird magnets and have been used traditionally to make candles.

Yes, Long Island has a native cactus! The Prickly Pear Cactus is a mounding, low-growing perennial found closer to the shoreline in sandy patches.  Easy to grow, hard to kill, and great for containers, too.  Be careful of the tiny hairlike spines when handling!  The paddles (nopales) and fruit (tuna) are edible and feature in Mexican cuisine.