Bug Lovers Native Plants

03/24/2026

Found this salamander in some leaves around the nursery plants. A good reminder to leave the leaves. And not clean up too early. And to take deep DEEP breaths....

01/16/2026

"Get something YOU would really like," they said...

01/09/2026

I wish more people loved my caterpillar children as much as I do.

A few plants pictured (and caterpillar-approved):

Canada Milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis)
American Senna (Senna hebecarpa)
Scarlet Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
Clustered Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Rose Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
Purple Giant Hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia)
Star Tickseed (Coreopsis pubescens)
Pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia)

01/07/2026

Dreaming of summer in the pollinator garden...

Pictured plants:
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Clustered Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)
Biennial Bee Blossom (Oenothera gaura)
Scarlet Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Annual Fleabane (Erigeron annuus)
Hoary Skullcap (Scutellaria incana var punctata)

10/01/2025

Salamanders are still here!

09/05/2025

Plant sale Saturday! Bug Lovers Native Plants will be set up in our parking lot from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Gardens.

This week, they’re featuring Southern Sneezeweed (Helenium flexuosum). Also known as Purple-headed Sneezeweed, this tough native perennial is an abundant bloomer and avoided by deer and rabbits. This species is shorter than Common Sneezeweed at only about 3-3.5 feet, does best in full sun, and loves wet soil but tolerates average soils. Southern Sneezeweed is popular with all kinds of pollinators and important for native specialist bees; it is also a host plant for the Dainty Sulphur butterfly.

Lots of plants available this week to brighten your yard:
Agastache scrophulariifolia - Purple Giant Hyssop
Amsonia tabernaemontana - Eastern Bluestar (NC Ecotype)
Andropogon gerardi - Big Bluestem
Angelica triquinata - Appalachian Angelica
Antennaria plantaginifolia - Pussytoes
Aralia racemosa - American Spikenard
Astragalus canadensis - Canada Milkvetch
Baptisia australis - Wild Blue Indigo
Blephilia hirsuta - Hairy Woodmint
Ceanothus americanus - New Jersey Tea (NC Ecotype)
Chasmanthium latifolium - River Oats
Cirsium muticum - Swamp Thistle
Elymus hystrix - Eastern Bottlebrush Grass (NC Ecotype)
Eupatorium perfoliatum - Common Boneset (NC Ecotype)
Helenium flexuosum - Southern Sneezeweed, pictured
Helianthus occidentalis - Fewleaf Sunflower
Lobelia cardinalis - Cardinalflower (NC Ecotype)
Marshallia obovata var. obovata - Piedmont Barbara's Buttons (NC Ecotype)
Monarda punctata - Spotted Bee Balm
Oligoneuron rigidum - Stiff Goldenrod
Physostegia virginiana - Obedient Plant
Schizachyrium scoparium - Little Bluestem
Scrophularia marilandica - Late Figwort
Solidago speciosa - Showy Goldenrod
Solidago uliginosa - Bog Goldenrod
Symphyotrichum georgianum - Georgia Aster
Symphyotrichum laeve - Smooth Blue Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae - New England Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium - Aromatic Aster
Veronicastrum virginicum - Culver's Root
Zizia aurea - Golden Alexander (NC Ecotype)

Plant sales will continue on many Saturdays through September at 651 Horn in the West Drive, Boone. See our calendar for all the dates: https://www.danielboonenativegardens.org/events

08/04/2025

Monarch caterpillars at the nursery! We have several, but they are very wee. Going to very carefully move a few to the pollinator garden and hopefully they will grow up! This is one reason we never use pesticides, despite lots of Oleander aphids.

07/17/2025

Bug Lovers will be at the Johnson County Farmers Market in Mountain City this Saturday, 9am-12pm at Ralph Stout Park off 421, we'll have lots of Hairy Woodmint (Blephilia hirsuta) as pictured here with a Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus). Also, this Saturday only, all quart sized plants are just $5 each, all native to Tennessee and North Carolina!

This week's plants:

Agastache scrophulariifolia - Purple Giant Hyssop
Allium cernuum - Nodding Onion
Amsonia tabernaemontana - Eastern Bluestar
Angelica triquinata - Appalachian Angelica
Antennaria plantaginifolia - Pussytoes
Aquilegia canadensis - Wild Columbine
Aronia arbutifolia - Red Chokeberry
Asclepias incarnata - Rose Milkweed 
Blephilia hirsuta - Hairy Woodmint
Campanulastrum americanum- American Bellflower
Chasmanthium latifolium - River Oats
Chrysopsis mariana - Maryland Goldenaster
Coreopsis pubescens - Star Tickseed
Eupatorium perfoliatum - Common Boneset
Helenium flexuosum - Southern Sneezeweed
Lobelia siphilitica - Great Blue Lobelia
Monarda didyma - Scarlet Bee Balm
Monarda fistulosa - Wild Bergamot
Oligoneuron rigidum - Stiff Goldenrod
Physostegia virginiana - Obedient Plant
Pycnanthemum muticum - Clustered Mountain Mint
Schizachyrium scoparium - Little Bluestem
Scrophularia marilandica - Late Figwort
Solidago nemoralis - Gray Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa - Showy Goldenrod
Symphyotrichum cordifolium - Blue Wood Aster
Symphyotrichum laeve - Smooth Blue Aster
Verbena hastata - Blue Vervain
Vernonia noveboracensis - New York Ironweed
Veronicastrum virginicum - Culver's Root
Zizia aurea - Golden Alexander

06/07/2025

Saw this tiny Monarch caterpillar Pollinator Garden on Aho Road. Great to see, and a great spot to see native wildflowers.

05/23/2025

We'll be at the Daniel Boone Native Gardens this Saturday, May 24th, 8am-12pm, with plants like this Silphium perfoliatum (Cup Plant). This is a really interesting tall perennial wildflower found in the High Country, great in full to part sun and medium to medium-wet soils. They can spread easily by seed, so plant with care, but they are important food source for many pollinators, including specialist bees. The leaves and stems also form a water-trapping cup. This is a protected plant in NC, so we grow this from nursery collected seed, and no pesticides of any kind.

Agastache scrophulariifolia - Purple Giant Hyssop
Amsonia tabernaemontana - Eastern Bluestar (NC Ecotype)
Aquilegia canadensis - Wild Columbine
Astragalus canadensis - Canada Milkvetch
Baptisia australis - Wild Blue Indigo
Baptisia bracteata - Cream Wild Indigo
Blephilia hirsuta - Hairy Woodmint
Campanulastrum americanum - American Bellflower
Cirsium muticum - Swamp Thistle
Coreopsis pubescens - Star Tickseed
Eupatorium perfoliatum - Common Boneset (NC Ecotype)
Helenium flexuosum - Southern Sneezeweed
Helianthus angustifolius - Narrowleaf Sunflower
Helianthus occidentalis - Fewleaf Sunflower
Iris shrevei - Southern Blue Flag Iris
Lilium philadelphicum - Wood Lily
Monarda didyma - Scarlet Bee Balm (NC Ecotype)
Monarda fistulosa - Wild Bergamot (NC Ecotype)
Penstemon smallii - Small's Beardtongue (NC Ecotype)
Physostegia virginiana - Obedient Plant
Pycnanthemum muticum - Clustered Mountain Mint
Rudbeckia fulgida - Orange Coneflower/Black-eyed Susan
Senna hebecarpa - American Senna
Silphium perfoliatum - Cup Plant
Solidago speciosa - Showy Goldenrod
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae - New England Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium - Aromatic Aster
Veronicastrum virginicum - Culver's Root

05/14/2025

Upcoming Dates:
Daniel Boone Native Gardens BIG PLANT FUNDRAISER
Saturday, May 17th 8am-11am

Bug Lovers @ Johnson County Farmers Market
Saturday, May 17th 9am-12pm

Daniel Boone Native Gardens Native Plant Fundraiser
Saturday, May 24th 8am-12pm

Bug Lovers @ King Street Market
Tuesday, May 27th 3:30pm-6:30pm

Daniel Boone Native Gardens Native Plant Fundraiser
Saturday, May 31st 8am-12pm

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