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. 

Our native iris is a showy, hardy perennial found around meadows, streams, ponds, and in wetter areas of meadows.  Its clumping growth and distinctive, yet familiar flower structure make it a wonderful addition to any garden.

Buttonbush is a shrub that is found on the edges of local ponds, swamps, and lakes.  Its unique 'button-like' flower structure lends to its namesake, and the subsequent 'nutlets' can persist through the winter.  An important source of food for ducks and other waterfowl in addition to being a good pollinator attracter.

Also known as Eastern False Willow, Groundsel bush is found in saltmarshes and along the coastal areas of Long Island.  Grows showy white flowers and many seed heads that attract pollinators and birds alike. It is the only member of the Aster family to reach tree size.  Great for salt tolerant and coastal landscaping.

One of our few native host plants for the Monarch butterfly.  Grows naturally in swamps and wet meadows but also grows well in the garden and grows well in poorly drained clay soil.  Has a pleasing scent when in bloom.

Black chokeberry is an adaptable shrub native with hardiness and wide tolerance to a variety of soil conditions, but prefers wet soils.  The bitter fruit is a food source for birds and other wildlife, and used to make jams, jellies, syrup, tea, juice and wines.  In autumn, leaves change to vibrant reds, oranges and purples.

A tall, fast growing shrub that has long catkins and toothed leaves.  Males have drooping catkins while females have upright catkins.  Can be found on the shores of rivers, lakes, and swamps.  Its fruit resembles a woody cone.  Also known as Smooth Alder.

Beach pea is a low, prostrate plant which can spread by underground roots (rhizomes). An easily grown plant, it prefers full sun. As a member of the Pea Family, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen. Fruit is a smooth flat pod, 1½ to 3 inches long and nearly ½ inch wide. No serious insect or disease problems.

Glossy green, deciduous leaves have five deep lobes forming a distinctive star shape. In the fall leaves turn vibrant shades of yellow, orange, red and purple. The fruit is a woody, burr-like fruit that is approximately 1" in diameter. Grows in a  straight, upright pyramidal shape. 

Is found growing in rocky/sandy soil and dry, open woods, gravel stream banks, thickets, prairies, bluffs, glades, roadsides, railroads. Tolerates droughts and floods. It naturalizes easily through self seeding but also propagates through rooting of its prostrate stems. The showy blooms grow on new wood, so cut back to the ground in the winter and it will come back next with vigor in the spring.