Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata)
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
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
