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WestMichRad

(2,316 posts)
15. Here are species native to southern Michigan that are "deer resistant"
Wed Apr 26, 2023, 12:49 PM
Apr 2023

Plant native species! Help your local pollinators!!

I'll note that very hungry deer will eat almost anything, especially younger plants, but in general deer will shun these species.
Sources for this information include Prairie Moon Seeds https://www.prairiemoon.com/ , Feral Flora (a native plants vendor in the Ann Arbor MI area https://www.feral-flora.com/ ), the book "Growing and Propagating Wildflowers of the US and Canada" by William Cullina, and a few personal observations.

Acer spp, maples
Aesculus spp, buckeyes
Achillea millefolium, milfoil yarrow
Actea spp, baneberry
Agastache spp., hyssop
Ageratina altissima, white snakeroot
Allium spp., wild onion
Amorpha canescens, leadplant
Anaphalis margaritacea, pearly everlasting
Antennaria plantaginifolia, pussytoes
Apocynum androsaenifolium, spreading dogbane
Apocynum cannibinum, Indian hemp
Aquilegia canadensis, columbine
Aralia spp., e.g. A. racemosa, spikenard, and A. nudicaulis, wild sarsaparilla…. And in general anything from the Araliacae family
Artemisia ludoviciana, prairie sage
Asarum canadense, wild ginger
Arisaema dracontium, green dragon
Arisaema triphyllum, jack in the pulpit
Aruncus dioicus, goat’s beard
Asclepias spp., milkweeds (Although I’ve observed that flowerheads of some milkweeds are occasionally eaten by deer)
Asimina triloba, paw paw
Astilbe biternata, false goat’s beard
Astragalus spp, milkvetch
Baptisia spp., wild indigo
Campanula species, harebell
Caulophyllum thalictroides, blue cohosh
Cephalanthus occidentalis, buttonbush
Chamaenerion angustifolium, fireweed
Chelone spp, turtlehead
Chimaphila maculata, spotted wintergreen
Chimaphila umbellata, pipsisswea
Clematis spp., (per Feral Flora), altho I call BS on this, deer certainly do eat the blossoms on ours!!
Colchicum spp, crocus (non-native)
Conoclinium coelestinum, mistflower or ageratum
Conopholis americana, cancer root (formerly called squaw root)
Coreopsis spp.
Dalea purpurea, purple prairie clover and other Dalea spp.
Delphinium spp, larkspur
Dicentra spp: bleeding heart, squirrel corn and Dutchman’s breeches
Echinacea spp., coneflower
Equisetum spp, horsetails and rushes
Eryngium yuccifolium, rattlesnake master
Eupatorium perfoliatum, common boneset and others
Euphorbia corollata, flowering spurge. (Note other Euphorbias are problematic invasive species!)
Eutrochium spp., Joe pyeweeds
Fragaria virginiana, wild strawberry
Geum triflorum, prairie smoke
Geranium spp, wild geranium
Helenium spp, sneezeweeds
Helianthus occidentalis, western sunflower
Hibiscus laevis, rose mallow
Hypericum prolificum, shrubby St. Johnswort
Hypericum spp, esp. the perennial St. Johnsworts
Hydrophyllum virginianum, Virginia waterleaf
Iris spp.
Jeffersonia diphylla, twinleaf
Juniperus spp, junipers
Lamium spp (Feral Flora: "deer avoid pretty much everything in mint family&quot
Liatris ligulistylis, meadow blazingstar (but not other Liatris spp)
Lindera benzoin, spicebush
Lobelia spp., cardinal flower and great blue lobelia
Lupinus spp, lupines
Maianthemum canadense, Canada mayflower
Maianthemum stellatum, starry false Solomon’s seal
Mertensia virginica bluebells
Mimulus species, monkeyflower
Mitchella repens, partridgeberry
Monarda spp., beebalm or bergamot
Myrica spp (sweet gale, M. gale, and the native wax myrtle or bayberry, M. pensylvanica)
Narcissus pseudonarcissus, daffodil (non-native)
Oenothera spp, evening primrose
Oligoneuron rigidum, stiff goldenrod
Optunia humifosa, prickly pear
Packera spp (eg. Packera aurea, golden ragwort)
Penstemon spp., beardtongues
Picea spp, spruces
Podophyllum peltatum, mayapple
Polemonium reptans, Jacob's ladder
Polygonatum spp., Solomon’s seal (nee Smilacina)
Ptelea trifoliata, hop tree
Pycnanthemum spp., mountain mint
Ratibida pinnata, yellow coneflower
Rhus aromatica, fragrant sumac
Rhus typhina, staghorn sumac
Ribes spp, currant and gooseberry species
Rudbeckia spp., black eyed Susan
Salvia azurea, blue sage and other Salvia spp.
Sanguinaria canadensis, bloodroot
Scrophularia lanceolata, early figwort
Senna hebecarpa, wild senna
Silphium spp, rosinweed, cupplant et al
Solidago spp., goldenrod
Stylophorum diphyllum, wood poppy
Symphyotrichum spp, asters
Symplocarpus foetidus, skunk cabbage
Tephrosia virginiana, goat’s rue or rabbit pea
Verbena spp., vervains
Verbesina alternifolia, wingstem
Vernonia spp., ironweeds
Veronicastrum virgincum, Culvers root
Viburnum spp.
Viola sororia, common violet (and possibly other Viola species)
Zizia aurea, golden Alexanders
Ferns, in general.

Graminoids (grasses, sedges)
Feral Flora says "almost all grasses and sedges (are deer resistant), esp. when well established, although are sometimes browsed by bunnies"
Andropogon gerardii, big bluestem
Bouteloua curtipendula side oats grama
Carex spp, sedges (some of them, at least: C. blanda, common wood sedge, and C. sprengelii, long beaked sedge are specifically noted as deer resistant in Prairie Moon catalog)
Chasmanthium latifolium, river oats
Erograstis spectabilis, purple love grass
Hierochloe adorata, sweet grass
Koeleria macrantha, junegrass
Panicum virgatum, switch grass
Schizachyrium scoparium, little bluestem
Sisyrinchiuim spp, blue-eyed grass
Sorghastrum nutans Indian grass
Sporobolus heterolepis prairie dropseed

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