Each season we will highlight a different group of native plants that are best-suited for that time of year. These collections will give you a sense of how you can create your own beautiful landscape, rooftop, or window box while providing a service to our ever-important pollinators. These native plants will help restore the diverse ecosystem that was once here, and provide food sources and habitat for local wildlife.

Our summer display features Ceanothus americanus and Rubus odoratus for structure. Both of these species can handle varying conditions including sun and shade. A butterfly lover’s favorite, Asclepias tuberosa, supports monarch butterfly larvae. Allium cernuum, our native nodding onion, provides food for the hairstreak butterfly. Callirhoe involucrata, also known as “wine cups,” looks exactly as it sounds, with floating pink cups of bright pink-red gracing the flowing foliage. And last, but certainly not least, is Opuntia humifusa. This native cactus stops people in their tracks! This delightful prickly pear is a favorite of many pollinators who love the bright yellow flowers that dot the cactus pads.

We hope you’ll stop by our summer native plant garden the next time you’re in the park—it is located by the Reflecting Pool. Please also join us in our effort to add more native plants to our city. For more information, download our Guide to Restoring Native Plants in NYC.

(Photos by Mark Gallucci)