EPA Level III Ecoregion
Erie Drift Plain
821 native plants for the Erie Drift Plain ecoregion (Buffalo area).
The Erie Drift Plain follows the southern shore of Lake Erie from Buffalo through Erie and Cleveland down toward Akron and Youngstown. Glacial drift left rolling ground with clay-heavy soil, and the lake drives both heavy snow in winter and a longer frost-free window right along the shore. Natives such as New York ironweed, pale Indian plantain, and Oswego-tea take that clay and the wet springs that come with it.
Conditions: Clay-rich glacial drift over rolling ground, 34–42 inches of precipitation with lake-effect snow, wet springs, moderate summers.
Cities and areas: Buffalo, Cleveland, Erie, Akron, Youngstown, Niagara Falls.
821 Native Plants for the Erie Drift Plain
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.
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Wild Red Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Common Sneezeweed
Helenium autumnale
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
False Sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides
New Jersey-tea
Ceanothus americanus
Nodding Onion
Allium cernuum
Brown-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia triloba
Blue Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Golden Groundsel
Packera aurea
Soft rush
Juncus effusus
Sevenbark
Hydrangea arborescens
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
American Fox Sedge
Carex vulpinoidea
Michaelmas Daisy
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Narrowleaf Blue-eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium angustifolium
Red-osier Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Scarlet Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Spotted Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Virginia Mountain-Mint
Pycnanthemum virginianum
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Creeping Polemonium
Polemonium reptans
Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra
Southern Blue Flag Iris
Iris virginica
Black-alder
Ilex verticillata
Broombush
Hypericum prolificum
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
Black Gum
Nyssa sylvatica
White Oak
Quercus alba
Red Maple
Acer rubrum
Blue-stemmed Goldenrod
Solidago caesia
Black Chokeberry
Aronia melanocarpa
Red Chokeberry
Aronia arbutifolia
Hornbeam
Carpinus caroliniana
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Oswego-tea
Monarda didyma
Smooth Shadbush
Amelanchier laevis
Showing 48 of 821. Enter your ZIP for the natives matched to your yard.
Fall care in the Erie Drift Plain
What to do right now for plants commonly grown here. Each links to the full regional care guide for that species, with sources.
- Old field goldenrod
Fall is the peak. Flowers feed pollinators first and seeds feed songbirds after.
- Golden alexander
Fall needs little work since the page lists no care steps.
- Lanceleaf aster
Fall is bloom time, from late summer into autumn.
- Blue stemmed goldenrod
Flowers run August through October, and seeds form from September through November.
- Pennsylvania smartweed
Fall is seed time, and songbirds and waterfowl eat the seeds.
- Marsh obedient plant
Fall is a good time to check how far it has spread.
- Roanoke bells
Fall is the time to take root cuttings if you want more plants.
- Impatiens pallida
Fall is seed time, and ripe pods fling seed some distance.
- Great st johnswort
Seed pods turn from bright green to dark brown as they ripen.
- Scarlet strawberry
It prefers cooler fall weather, so this is a good time to divide the patch.
Build a plan for the Erie Drift Plain
The Pollinator Patch App turns plants like these into a front-yard plan tuned for the soil, climate, and HOA expectations of the Buffalo area.