Seeking native plants? Start with the Virginia Native Plant Finder tool

A Virginia agency is helping gardeners and land developers to take advantage of a tool to help find the right native plant for a project of any size.

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation has improved its Virginia-specific native plants finder website to help identify native species for projects from backyard gardens to large solar sites.

“Plant species native to our state are well-adapted to the habitat conditions and climate, so they often require less maintenance than non-native species,” said Kevin Heffernan, stewardship biologist for the Virginia Natural Heritage Program at DCR. “They provide essential food sources for native pollinator species and birds that non-native species lack. Thus, in addition to adding beauty to our landscapes, they increase ecological vitality.”

While some nurseries and garden centers may identify plants as being native to North America, this tool focuses on species considered native to the regions within the state of Virginia (Mountain, Piedmont, Coastal Plain) and even drills down to the locality level.

For example, a user who is seeking types of grasses – no taller than 3 feet, for a sunny and dry habitat – could plug in those characteristics and enter the specific locality for a list of recommendations.

Of the nearly 1,600 species in the database, many are commercially available as live plants or seeds. With each species, if it is commercially available, links to vendors who list it in their catalog are provided.

The finder is built using data collected by Natural Heritage scientists, who are responsible for identifying and conserving Virginia’s plants, animals and natural communities. The finder does not include any rare species, or any non-native plants, that have been introduced to Virginia.

The finder was first created in 2014. In 2018, a separate solar site native plant finder for large-scale projects was developed. The newest version combines both into one.

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Virginia Native Plant Society and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality contributed to the development of the tool.

The Virginia Native Plant Finder tool is available online at www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/native-plants-finder