EPA Level III Ecoregion
Eastern Great Lakes Lowlands
1039 native plants for the Eastern Great Lakes Lowlands ecoregion (Rochester area).
The Eastern Great Lakes Lowlands wrap around the eastern ends of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, covering Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, and Watertown. Lake-effect snow, a growing season moderated by the water, and old lakebed soils shape the region, and the shoreline itself carries real dune and sand-plain habitat. Natives such as American beach grass, northern bayberry, and pale St. Johnswort handle those sandy lakeshore conditions and the wind that comes off the water.
Conditions: Old lakebed and sandy shoreline soils, 30–40 inches of precipitation with heavy lake-effect snow, cold winters moderated near the water.
Cities and areas: Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, Watertown, Oswego, Auburn.
1039 Native Plants for the Eastern Great Lakes Lowlands
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.
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
Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Common Sneezeweed
Helenium autumnale
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
False Sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides
New Jersey-tea
Ceanothus americanus
Purple Lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis
Mallow-rose
Hibiscus moscheutos
Blue Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Narrowleaf Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Smooth Aster
Symphyotrichum laeve
Soft rush
Juncus effusus
Golden Groundsel
Packera aurea
Michaelmas Daisy
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
American Fox Sedge
Carex vulpinoidea
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
Virginia Mountain-Mint
Pycnanthemum virginianum
Scarlet Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Spotted Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Aromatic Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Red-osier Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium angustifolium
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra
Blunt Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Black-alder
Ilex verticillata
Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Southern Blue Flag Iris
Iris virginica
Red Chokeberry
Aronia arbutifolia
Hornbeam
Carpinus caroliniana
White Oak
Quercus alba
Black Chokeberry
Aronia melanocarpa
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Red Maple
Acer rubrum
Blue-stemmed Goldenrod
Solidago caesia
Black Gum
Nyssa sylvatica
Showing 48 of 1039. Enter your ZIP for the natives matched to your yard.
Fall care in the Eastern Great Lakes Lowlands
What to do right now for plants commonly grown here. Each links to the full regional care guide for that species, with sources.
- Smooth aster
Fall brings the main bloom, a critical nectar source for bees and butterflies before frost.
- Rough stem goldenrod
Fall is peak bloom, a key late nectar source.
- Little bluestem
Fall shows off little bluestem's best color around Rochester, turning copper and mahogany.
- Black eyed susan
Fall brings the last blooms and seed set around Rochester.
- Switchgrass
Fall brings gold color and seed heads to switchgrass around Rochester before lake-effect winter sets in.
- Wild bergamot
Seed heads form after bloom and feed birds through fall near the lake plain.
- Cardinal flower
Fall is for cutting back spent stalks before lake-effect winter sets in.
- Black alder
Fall brings early leaf drop and the start of winterberry's red berry display near Rochester.
- Hollow joe pyeweed
Bloom winds down and seed heads form around Rochester through fall.
- New jersey tea
Fall is quiet for New Jersey tea as seed pods mature near the Great Lakes lowlands.
Build a plan for the Eastern Great Lakes Lowlands
The Pollinator Patch App turns plants like these into a front-yard plan tuned for the soil, climate, and HOA expectations of the Rochester area.