Native Plant Search Tools

Chesapeake Bay Native Plant Center Search

The Chesapeake Bay Native Plant Center is supported by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Chesapeake Bay Field Office. In addition to the powerful search capabilities, you can view or download the online version of the guide “Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping – Chesapeake Bay Watershed.”

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Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Finder

Search the Lady Bird Johnson Native Plant Database containing more than 25,000 plants. You can search by combinations of location, habit, duration, light, soil, bloom characteristics, and several other criteria. The Lady Bird Johnson Center uses native plants to restore and create sustainable, beautiful landscapes.


National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder

This website will help you find the best native plants specifically for your area that attract butterflies and moths and the birds that feed on their caterpillars, based on the scientific research of Dr. Douglas Tallamy. This tool focuses on butterflies and birds, but many other wildlife species also benefit when you plant natives. No other online resource offers zip code specific lists of native plants ranked by the number of butterflies and moths that use them as caterpillar host plants.


Piedmont Native Plants Database

The Piedmont Natives Plant Database covers the Piedmont area, however many plants that are native there may also be locally native to your area. To find out, you can check at the Digital Atlas of Virginia Flora. The folks at Piedmont Natives, which is brought to you by Albermarle County, have given you a super-wide choice list. You can search for plants by numerous features, even by color.


Virginia DCR Native Plant Finder

The Virginia Department of Natural Heritage, which operates under the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), provides an online tool allowing many choices to focus your native plant search. Start by choosing your region, then refine with light, moisture, whether you want a tree, shrub, vine, grass; if you want to attract butterflies and bees; prefer tall or short, and more.

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Virginia DCR Natural Heritage Explorer

The Virginia Department of Natural Heritage, which operates under the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), provides an online tool with interactive access to various map data representing Natural Heritage resources and other conservation values in Virginia. Visitors can view and create maps of conservation status and conservation values, by clicking the “Map” tab. The “Species/Communities Search” is used to search the database and create summaries of Natural Heritage Resources (i.e. rare species populations and natural communities) by conservation status ranks, counties, watersheds, and other descriptors.