Vermont Native Plants, State Flower & State Bird

Hello native plant enthusiasts! In the list below, you will find popular native plants and wildflower seeds, available from American Meadows, that have a native distribution in your state. You’ll also find information about your state bird, state flower, and state wildflower!

• The links will take you to a single plant or seed selection for the plant listed -- but in many cases, we offer multiple cultivars for each plant, and we may offer both seeds and potted plants to grow the plant on your list. This list is a work in progress as we expand our native plant educational resources. 
• The list for your state is a great place for getting started with native plants - but it is by no means a comprehensive listing of the hundreds of native plants growing in each state. 

Grow our Native Northeast Wildflower Seed Mix

Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)

Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)

Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa)

Perennial Lupine (Lupinus perennis)

Black Eyed Susan or Gloriosa Daisy (Rudbeckia hirta)

Gray Headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)

White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

Red Trillium (Trillium erectum)

Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum)

Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba)

Long Beaked Sedge (Carex sprengelii)

White Tinged Sedge (Carex albicans)

Appalachian Sedge (Carex appalachia)

Yellow Prairie Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)

Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)

Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)

Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

Phlox divaricata (Woodland Phlox)

Phlox subulata (Creeping Phlox)

Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)

Red Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Meadow Anemone (Anemone canadensis)

Globe Gilia (Gilia capitata)

Bottlebrush Grass (Elymus hystrix)

Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)

Tufted Hair Grass (Deschampsia cespitosa)

Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)

New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

Common White Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Helenium (Helenium autumnale) (naturalized in New England)

Heliopsis (Heliopsis helianthoides)

Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea)

Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Hermit Thrush ~ Hylocichla guttata
The Sweetest singer of his family, the Hermit Thrush, along with the Mockingbird, is fondly called the American Nightingale. He repeats the passages of his music often, each time in a slightly altered version. His singing has been compared to the “theme with variations” of the classical composers. There is, indeed, an air of classical dignity and serenity about this bird as he sits motionless on an evergreen perch in the remote north woods and sings to the wilderness sunset.

Red Clover ~ Trifolium pratense
Though it's an introduced species, Red Clover was chosen as the Vermont state flower to represent Vermont's scenic countryside and its dairy farms. Like other clovers, has a deceptive blossom: a single globe-shaped clover head is actually made up of about a hundred rose-purple florets. Some writers believe that the Clover Leaf was the original shamrock. The leaf was also thought to resemble the three-knobbed club carried by Hercules; hence the plant was called “clava,” the Latin for club, which was corrupted into “clover.” This also explains why in playing cards the Clover Leaf is called a club.

From The Wildflowers of the 50 States U.S. stamps issued July 24, 1992:

• Native plants are essential for healthy ecosystems and habitat. They have evolved over time with local wildlife and climate conditions. Many pollinators have special relationships with native plants that they rely on for survival. For instance, some bees are specialists and require nectar and pollen from specific native plants to survive; and butterflies and moths often have specific host plants needed to nourish their caterpillars. For example, Asclepias (Milkweed or Butterfly Weed) is the host plant required for Monarch caterpillars to survive and grow into Monarch Butterflies!
• It’s OK to grow native plants in your yard that may not be native to your state or region. Remember – just because a plant is not native, does not necessarily mean that it is invasive or harmful. In fact, growing well-behaved introduced plants that are suited to your growing conditions can still provide many benefits to your yard (especially when compared to a traditional turf lawn).  
• Know before you grow – It's always a good idea to learn what plants are native, well-behaved, and invasive or aggressive in your region before digging in.
• Learn More: All About Native Plants

Explore our full selection of native plants and seeds