Giant St. John’s Wort has the largest flowers of the Hypericum spp. Those beauties attract a wide variety of native bees, especially bumblebees, which are their primary pollinators (illinoiswildflower.info). It is the host plant to the Gray Hairstreak and 22 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org). The foliage seems to be somewhat toxic to mammalian herbivores and is thus avoided by deer and bunnies!
Photo credit: Alexey Yakovlev
Giant St. John’s Wort has the largest flowers of the Hypericum spp. Those beauties attract a wide variety of native bees, especially bumblebees, which are their primary pollinators (illinoiswildflower.info). It is the host plant to the Gray Hairstreak and 22 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org). The foliage seems to be somewhat toxic to mammalian herbivores and is thus avoided by deer and bunnies!
Photo credit: Alexey Yakovlev
Life Cycle: Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full-Partial shade
Soil Moisture: Medium/wet – Dry
Height: 2-5 feet
Plant Spacing: 2-3 feet
Bloom Time: July-August
Bloom Color: Yellow
Advantages: Caterpillar Favorite, Pollinator Favorite, Deer Resistant, Great Landscape Plant
Host Plant: Gray Hairstreak and 22 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (nwf.org)
