Honewort is a shade-loving native plant with small white flowers that bloom in summer. While the flowers are not especially showy, they attract a wide variety of native bees and other beneficial insects (illinoiswildflower.info). Honewort is also a larval host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly. In optimal conditions, Honewort can be quite vigorous and readily self-seeds, so thoughtful placement is important. When allowed to form colonies, it can provide valuable cover and habitat for a range of invertebrate and small vertebrate wildlife (illinoiswildflower.info).
Photo credit: Laura Flohr Reynolds
Honewort is a shade-loving native plant with small white flowers that bloom in summer. While the flowers are not especially showy, they attract a wide variety of native bees and other beneficial insects (illinoiswildflower.info). Honewort is also a larval host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly. In optimal conditions, Honewort can be quite vigorous and readily self-seeds, so thoughtful placement is important. When allowed to form colonies, it can provide valuable cover and habitat for a range of invertebrate and small vertebrate wildlife (illinoiswildflower.info).
Photo credit: Laura Flohr Reynolds
Life Cycle: Perennial, Ground Cover
Sun Exposure: Shade
Soil Moisture: Medium/wet – Medium/dry
Height: 1-3 feet
Bloom Time: July-September
Bloom Color: White
Advantages: Pollinator Favorite, Deer Resistant
Host Plant: Black Swallowtail and one other species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (nwf.org)
