Native Plants of New York City: Fall Blooming Plants

The common white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) blooms from July to October, with white inflorescences (bunches of small flowers) visible throughout the fall. The nectar of these flowers attracts a variety of insects, including leaf-cutting bees, butterflies, wasps, and moths. The caterpillars of some moths, including Eupatorium Borer Moth (Carmenta bassiformis) and Ruby Tiger Moth (Phragmatobia fuliginosa), feed on the foliage of white snakeroot and related plants. 

New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) is a towering upright perennial wildflower that is native to the eastern and southeastern U.S. It is commonly found in areas with wet soil, like streambanks, low-lying woods, and marshes. It blooms in the late summer through early fall with fluffy, deep purple composite flowers, 3 to 4 inches wide, that cluster at the top of the plant above long, lance-shaped leaves. 

Asters are a family of flowers that are daisy-like in appearance and are very popular in gardens because they attract pollinators and come in a variety of colors. Here are a couple of our favorites are:

• New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae): The New England Aster blooms from September to October with vibrant purple ray flowers that have bright yellow to orange disk flowers in the center. This aster has more ray flowers than other asters in our area! It has hairy leaves that clasp the stem, helping make it easy to identify. It prefers partial shade, but can also be found in moist meadows and woodland edges. It is an important nectar resource for native bees and a larval host for the Pearl Crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos). 

• White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata): The white wood aster can be found in our woodlands and woodland edges blooming a brilliant white from September to November. Its leaves, which emerge in late spring, are heart shaped or cordate.  

Goldenrods are some of the most recognizable fall-blooming plants. Their towering stalks feature large, yellow flowers that are particularly attractive to monarch butterflies. 

Seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens), for example, can grow to six feet tall and is one of the most critical resources for monarch butterflies migrating through our coastal areas. This plant is aptly named, as its natural salt tolerance allows it to survive in salty seaside locations, like dunes and the upper edges of salt marshes. In fact, it has even found a lot of new habitats in NYC where we salt roadways in the winter! Some botanists have nominated it as the toughest plant in NYC!

Keep an eye out for witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), a native plant that blooms with yellow flowers as late as November, book-ending the winter season with its spring-blooming cousin, Hamamelis mollis. Witch hazel even has small brown nuts that provide food for wildlife.  

The Montauk daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum) helps beautify garden beds at a time when most summer flowers are on their way out. Its white flowers have that classic “daisy” look, so they are easy to recognize!