Native Plant

All Native Plant Content

Plant Look-Alikes: What’s the Difference Between Phlox and Dame’s Rocket?

Distinguishing between native phlox flowers and the invasive dame's rocket can be challenging due to their similar appearances. Learn some key characteristics that can help you tell dame's rocket apart before it invades your property.

Left: Fireweed growing in a clearing. Right: Purple loosestrife growing in a meadow.

Plant Look-Alikes: What’s the Difference Between Fireweed and Purple Loosestrife?

Fireweed and purple loosestrife are often confused with one another due to their similar appearances, but the two plants have dramatically different impacts on the environment. Learn some key characteristics to help tell them apart.

White, oblong flowers on tall stems and green grass surrounded by brown prairie soil

Native Plants to Know: Thimbleweed (Anemone cylindrica)

Anemone cylindrica (Ranunculaceae), also known as thimbleweed or candle anemone, is a perennial, herbaceous plant native to prairies and woodlands of central and northern North America.

Small-flowered columbine in bloom in a wooded area.

Native Plants to Know: Small-Flowered Columbine (Aquilegia brevistyla)

Aquilegia brevistyla, or small-flowered columbine, is a native, perennial, herbaceous plant in the Ranunculaceae (buttercup family) that grows in cool, shaded, canyons in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Multiple red flowers bloom in an open meadow. Green foliage rises from the base of flowers. Spruce trees are seen in the background.

Native Plants to Know: Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)

Geum triflorum or Prairie Smoke (Rosaceae) is a flowering, herbaceous (non-woody stem) perennial, native to North American prairies known for its distinctive nodding and wispy flowers that resemble plumes of smoke

Winter Sowing in the Northern Great Plains

Winter sowing is a technique used to start seeds that have a requirement for cold stratification, including many native perennials. View some expert tips and a step-by-step guide for getting started.

a picture large purple flowers with yellow centers surrounded by dead leaves and grey landscaping rocks.

Landscaping Best Practices for Pollinators and Beyond

Our yards are all part of a greater ecosystem. By incorporating some best practices into your landscaping routine, your yard can develop healthier soil, support more pollinators, and reduce the need for pest control.

A large orange butterfly with white spots feeding on a pale pink flower in a green grassy area.

Planting for Specialist Butterflies

Monarchs are not the only specialist pollinators in South Dakota. Many other butterflies also require a specific plant or family of plants to lay eggs on. Learn about some important host plants to help specialist butterflies in your yard!

A Guide to Collecting, Pressing, and Mounting Plants

Fact sheet on collecting, pressing and mounting plants

Beneficial Flowers for Organic Vegetable Production Systems

Learn about a wide variety of flowers that can be planted in guard rows among vegetables to attract beneficial insects and reduce pest pressure in organic vegetable gardens.