Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata)

$15.00

Huckleberry is a great wildlife plant! Its flowers attract many bees and butterflies. It is the host plant to the Red-Spotted Purple and 39 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org) and is the host plant to the specialist bee Andrena carolina (Johnson and Colla, 2023). The fruit is eaten by many species of birds (Bird Table) and mammals, and humans too (illinoiswildflower.org)! In optimal conditions, Huckleberry can form colonies that can provide nesting habitat for various small animals. Keep in mind that if the plants are in too much shade, they fail to produce fruit. The flowers are self-fertile, but production is better when there is cross-pollination.  

Photo credit: (1) Doug McGrady, (2) John Blair

Huckleberry is a great wildlife plant! Its flowers attract many bees and butterflies. It is the host plant to the Red-Spotted Purple and 39 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org) and is the host plant to the specialist bee Andrena carolina (Johnson and Colla, 2023). The fruit is eaten by many species of birds (Bird Table) and mammals, and humans too (illinoiswildflower.org)! In optimal conditions, Huckleberry can form colonies that can provide nesting habitat for various small animals. Keep in mind that if the plants are in too much shade, they fail to produce fruit. The flowers are self-fertile, but production is better when there is cross-pollination.  

Photo credit: (1) Doug McGrady, (2) John Blair

Life Cycle: Perennial

Sun Exposure: Partial

Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry

Height: 1-3 feet

Plant Spacing: 1-3 feet

Bloom Time: May-July

Bloom Color: White

Advantages: Caterpillar Favorite, Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Great Landscaping Plant

Host Plant: Red-Spotted Purple and 39 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org)

Specialist Bee: Andrena carolina (Johnson and Colla, 2023)

Beneficial for Endangered or Threatened Species: Henry's Elfin (Incisalia henrici) (mnfi.anr.msu.edu)

Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023

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