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TN Native Plant Society is a botanical organization for persons interested in the native flora of Tennessee. #tn native plant

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REMINDER: Online Seminar: Brittany Bajo-Walker on "A Bowl, A Button, A Bivalve! - Tracing the Historical Uses and Ecological Value of Tennessee's Freshwater Mussels"
October 20, 2026 @ 6:30pm CT / 7:30pm ET

Since joining the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) in 2024, Brittany Bajo-Walker, Statewide Mollusk Coordinator, has been working to protect Tennessee’s freshwater mussels. From monitoring Duck River populations and conducting underwater surveys across the state to overseeing mussel propagation, Brittany plays a key role in mussel conservation across the state.

To register for this FREE seminar, please visit https://tnps.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F55177

NOTE: If the number of attendees exceeds our room capacity, the seminar video may be viewed on our website via our YouTube channel within two weeks. by @plants_of_tn

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19 hours ago

Standing 6–10 feet tall, 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞 (𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦) is hard to miss when it rises above Tennessee’s late-summer fields and woodland edges. This striking native thistle produces numerous pink to purple flower heads from summer into early fall, often bringing a splash of color when many other wildflowers are fading. Despite its intimidating name and spiny leaves, Tall Thistle is a valuable part of Tennessee’s native flora.

Look closely and you’ll find some excellent identification clues. Its large leaves are mostly unlobed or shallowly lobed, with spiny margins and often a distinctive white, woolly underside. Tall Thistle occurs in a variety of Tennessee habitats, including woodland edges, old fields, pastures, bottomlands and other open sites.

Tall Thistle is also a welcome resource for wildlife. Its flowers provide nectar for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, while its seeds are eaten by birds. So the next time you encounter a towering thistle along a Tennessee trail or field edge, take a closer look. You may be seeing one of our own native thistles at work supporting Tennessee’s wildlife.

Photos by Keith Bradley, Theo Witsell, and Dwayne Estes by @plants_of_tn

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9 days ago

𝐀 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐮! Cumberland Rosinweed (Silphium brachiatum) is an uncommon perennial wildflower restricted in Tennessee to the southern Cumberland Plateau. It grows in sunny, open habitats such as limestone barrens, glades, and other rocky openings. Hawkins Cove State Natural Area in Franklin County was specifically protected in part because it supports a population of this unusual plant. TDEC lists Cumberland Rosinweed as state endangered.

How can you tell it from other Tennessee rosinweeds? Look for its tall, upright stems and opposite leaves, with bases that clasp or nearly clasp the stem. Lower leaves may be triangular or somewhat hastate with coarse teeth. Its bright yellow, sunflower-like flower heads appear from August to October. Unlike Whorled Rosinweed (Silphium trifoliatum), whose leaves are typically arranged in whorls of three, Cumberland Rosinweed has opposite leaves and generally fewer ray flowers.

Photos by Zach Irick by @plants_of_tn

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9 days ago

𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐝 (𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚) is a beautiful Tennessee native that brings a splash of golden-yellow to the landscape just as summer begins giving way to fall. Unlike many goldenrods that form tall, feathery plumes, this species produces small clusters of bright flowers along its gracefully arching stems, making it especially distinctive.

Look for Bluestem Goldenrod from late summer into fall in open woods, woodland edges, rocky slopes, ravines, and other partially shaded habitats across Tennessee. Its stems often have a striking bluish or purplish cast, adding another layer of interest to this attractive perennial. It’s a great reminder that goldenrods aren't just plants of sunny fields, they can thrive in the woods, too!

Bluestem Goldenrod’s late-season flowers provide valuable nectar for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators when many summer wildflowers are fading. This fall, keep an eye out for this graceful native wherever Tennessee's woods meet the changing season.

Photos by Tennessee Smart Yards and Dwayne Estes by @plants_of_tn

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10 days ago

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫-𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 (𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚) is a distinctive Tennessee native vine found primarily in West Tennessee’s floodplain forests, swamps, wet woods, and along streams. Unlike the star-shaped blooms of many cultivated clematis, this species produces unusual nodding, urn-shaped flowers with four curled, crinkled sepals in shades of blue-purple to lavender. The vines can climb or trail 6–10 feet through surrounding vegetation.

After flowering, feathery seed heads provide additional interest. Its flowers offer nectar for butterflies and other insects, while the seeds are eaten by birds. Well suited to moist native landscapes, marsh leather-flower works especially well along pond edges, in rain gardens, wet swales, and streamside plantings.

If you encounter this uncommon Tennessee native, take a moment to admire its distinctive frilled, blue-purple bells, another botanical treasure of West Tennessee’s wetlands.

Photos by Richard & Teresa Ware, Alan Cressler, and Sonnia Hill by @plants_of_tn

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10 days ago

One of Tennessee’s most important wildlife food sources is falling from the trees right now. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐎𝐚𝐤 (𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐚) acorns typically begin maturing and dropping in late September, with the heaviest drop often occurring in October.

Because white oak acorns mature in a single growing season, they become an important food source just as fall wildlife activity is increasing. These nutritious acorns are eagerly consumed by white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, black bears, raccoons, and many other wildlife species.

For Tennessee’s wildlife, a mature white oak is much more than a beautiful forest tree, it is a fall food factory. Year after year, its acorn crop provides critical energy when animals are preparing for winter.

Photos by Richard and Teresa Ware, Stephanie Brundage, Dwayne Estes, and Mitchell Kent by @plants_of_tn

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11 days ago

𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐆𝐮𝐦 (𝐍𝐲𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐬𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚) is one of Tennessee’s native trees that provide spectacular color in autumn. Its glossy green leaves can erupt into brilliant shades of scarlet, crimson, orange, and purple, often making it one of the earliest trees to put on a show of fall color. It can grow to 100 feet in height and its trunk can grow 2 to 3 feet in diameter.

Black Gum is found throughout Tennessee in a variety of habitats, including bottom lands, moist forests, swamps, upland woods, and rocky slopes. Small, inconspicuous spring flowers are followed by dark blue fruits that mature in late summer and fall Its fruits are an important food source for birds and other wildlife, while the flowers provide nectar for early-season pollinators. It also provides nesting sites for various bird species.

Black Gum is a wonderful example of how a Tennessee native tree can support wildlife while adding exceptional seasonal color to the landscape. See if you can spot one this fall.

Photos by Alan Cressler, Gary P. Fleming, and Bruce A. Sorrie by @plants_of_tn

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11 days ago

𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐞’𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬! As bears prepare for winter, they seek out some of the most energy-rich foods our native plants provide.

Acorns from oaks, nuts from hickories and American beech, and fruits from persimmons, black cherries, wild grapes, blackberries, blueberries and black gum are among the important foods available in Tennessee forests. Acorns and other nuts become especially valuable as fall progresses.

When we protect native trees, shrubs and vines, we’re not just protecting plants, we’re protecting the food web. From black bears and deer to birds, squirrels and countless other wildlife species, native plants provide the natural food and habitat that wildlife needs to survive and thrive. Plant natives to protect habitat and feed wildlife naturally.

Special thanks to Eli Harris for capturing and sharing this stunning image! by @plants_of_tn

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12 days ago

Looking for a striking Tennessee wildflower that will stop you in your tracks? Meet 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐥𝐬 (𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐮𝐦)! This beautiful native features small, vivid blue flowers held above the foliage on gracefully branching stems, creating a beautiful display from late summer into fall.

Blue Curls typically blooms from August into October and can be found in Tennessee’s open woodlands, glades, woodland edges, fields, cliffs, and barrens, especially in sunny, well-drained sites. An annual member of the mint family, it can reach up to 28 inches tall. Its aromatic foliage and unusual blue flowers make it one of our more distinctive late-season wildflowers.

Blue Curls is more than a beautiful flower, it’s a valuable late-season resource for pollinators. Its nectar-rich flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other native insects when many other summer blooms are fading. By protecting native plants like Blue Curls and the habitats where they grow, we help keep essential food available for pollinators well into the fall.

Photos by Erik Danielson and Gary P. Fleming by @plants_of_tn

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12 days ago

The 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 (𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬) is a remarkable native perennial that can reach 6 feet or more in height. Its bright yellow flower heads brighten open habitats in August through October, making September a great time to look for this unusual sunflower. Its name comes from the distinctive arrangement of its leaves, which occur in whorls around the stem.

Whorled Sunflower is especially associated with West Tennessee, where it grows in moist prairies, along creek edges, and in other open habitats. It is federally endangered, with only a small number of known populations. Because of its rarity, specific locations should not be publicized or disturbed.

Protecting the native habitats where Whorled Sunflower grows helps preserve not only this extraordinary plant, but also the diverse community of pollinators and wildlife that depend on native plants throughout the year.

Photos by Richard & Teresa Ware and Alan Cressler by @plants_of_tn

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13 days ago

𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗹𝗲!
The Goldenrod Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) is a familiar Tennessee native often seen from August through October on goldenrods and other late-season flowers. Its elongated black-and-yellow body may make it look like a wasp, but this beetle is completely harmless to people.

These busy beetles play several important roles in the ecosystem. Adults feed on nectar and pollen, making them valuable pollinators, while also feeding on small insects and other soft-bodied invertebrates. Their larvae live in the soil, where they prey on insect eggs, larvae, and other small organisms.

Thanks to Blake Rowlett for sharing this exquisite photo! by @plants_of_tn

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13 days ago

𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬! Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is a beautiful Tennessee native often seen in the forest in the spring. Produced in the fall, its berries and underground corm contain needle-like calcium oxalate crystals that can cause intense burning and irritation of the mouth and throat.

Chewing or ingesting the plant can cause burning, swelling, excessive salivation, difficulty swallowing, and nausea, and in serious cases, difficulty breathing. The bright red berries are especially noticeable in late summer and fall.

Handling the plant is generally not a concern. Enjoy Jack-in-the-pulpit as a distinctive Tennessee woodland native, but admire those attractive berries without tasting them!

Photos by Will Stuart and Mitchell Kent by @plants_of_tn

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14 days ago