EPA Level III Ecoregion
Eastern Corn Belt Plains
1121 native plants for the Eastern Corn Belt Plains ecoregion (Columbus area).
The Eastern Corn Belt Plains cover the glaciated farm country of western Ohio and eastern Indiana, centered on Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, and Fort Wayne. Flat to gently rolling ground, heavy glacial till, and a high water table make drainage the dominant question in most yards here. Natives such as prairie milkweed, glade-mallow, and clustered mountain-mint are prairie and wet-prairie plants that take the clay and the standing water of a wet spring.
Conditions: Heavy glacial till over a high water table, 36–42 inches of rain, cold winters and warm humid summers, slow drainage.
Cities and areas: Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Springfield, Muncie.
1121 Native Plants for the Eastern Corn Belt Plains
HOA-friendly picks listed first. Pet-safety status varies by species; each plant page shows its sourced ASPCA status. Native range data from vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists.
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Wild Red Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Rattlesnake Master
Eryngium yuccifolium
Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Common Sneezeweed
Helenium autumnale
False Sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
New Jersey-tea
Ceanothus americanus
Perennial Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia fulgida
Drooping Prairie-coneflower
Ratibida pinnata
Nodding Onion
Allium cernuum
Purple Lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis
Mallow-rose
Hibiscus moscheutos
Blue Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Brown-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia triloba
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Narrowleaf Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Smooth Aster
Symphyotrichum laeve
Whorled Milkweed
Asclepias verticillata
Inland Sea Oats
Chasmanthium latifolium
Golden Groundsel
Packera aurea
Soft rush
Juncus effusus
Smooth Spiderwort
Tradescantia ohiensis
Sevenbark
Hydrangea arborescens
Michaelmas Daisy
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Pale Purple Coneflower
Echinacea pallida
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Purple Prairie Clover
Dalea purpurea
American Fox Sedge
Carex vulpinoidea
Tall Blazing Star
Liatris aspera
Spotted Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Aromatic Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Scarlet Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Red-osier Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Showing 48 of 1121. Enter your ZIP for the natives matched to your yard.
Fall care in the Eastern Corn Belt Plains
What to do right now for plants commonly grown here. Each links to the full regional care guide for that species, with sources.
- Stiff goldenrod
Fall brings the second bloom wave, through October, and then seeds ripen for birds.
- Brown eyed susan
Blooms run through October. Leave some seed heads if you want it to come back.
- Foxglove beardtongue
Fall is quiet. Check drainage and keep watering light.
- Dense blazing star
In fall, goldfinches eat the seeds, so there is a reason to wait before cutting.
- Rose of sharon
Brown seed capsules are on the shrub in fall. Clip them if you want to limit spread.
- Rose mallow
Fall is when bloom winds down in October. For the related H. moscheutos, fall is also cutback time.
- Hollyhock
Fall is when hollyhock sets seed, which is how it comes back. Decide whether you want new plants or a tidier bed.
- Culvers root
Cut spent flowers for a possible second bloom.
- Fall aster
Late flowers feed pollinators and seeds feed wildlife.
- Perennial black eyed susan
Fall is for seeds and optional division.
Build a plan for the Eastern Corn Belt Plains
The Pollinator Patch App turns plants like these into a front-yard plan tuned for the soil, climate, and HOA expectations of the Columbus area.