Streams, ponds, wetlands

Protecting our water

If your property includes a wetland, such as a permanent or intermittent stream or river, or a pond or a lake, or a swamp or a marsh, it is important to protect water quality by providing a buffer of native plants between the wetland and any developed area including mown lawn. Ideally, that should be at least 100 feet wide, though any buffer is better than nothing.

However, PLEASE NOTE! If the wetland is already buffered by natural vegetation, it is our job to control invasive plants, and we should avoid adding new species, as that will disturb the existing plant community. Be a good steward by letting the native plants and wildlife sort themselves out the way they have been doing for thousands of years. But if you have been mowing down to the edge of a stream or a pond, why not stop mowing and fill the area with native plants? Try to choose ones that normally would be there - see below for guidance. By planting combinations that occur in nature, you are more likely to be creating real habitat in which the complicated interactions between flora and fauna can play out.

Properties that include streams are the last bulwark against the damage inflicted by runoff from impervious surfaces. This “riparian buffer” captures and cleans stormwater runoff that can erode the banks and flood the streams (and your basement). That floodwater carries tons of sediment down to the Chesapeake Bay, where it buries the sea grasses that are the basis of the ecosystem there. In addition, healthy streams need to be lined with trees to keep the water temperature cool and to provide leaves to feed the underwater ecosystem. The Commonwealth has a brochure on this subject.

Before you think about adding more, try to identify the plants that are there. Natives worth keeping may already be growing there. Don't make the mistake of taking things out that you may later discover are valuable natives! Apps such as iNaturalist can help, and you can also invite a Northern Virginia Bird Alliance Wildlife Sanctuary (formerly Audubon-at-Home) Ambassador to take a look.

Do you need a waiver?

Land-disturbing activities are prohibited within floodplains or within 100 feet of a stream, shore, or wetland, whether the land is publicly or privately owned, unless you obtain a waiver. (“Land-disturbing” includes removal of vegetation and planting new plants.) Maps of these “Resource Protection Areas” can be found here.

Choosing plants

The spreadsheet below of plants that are currently available for sale can give you guidance about which native plants to choose. There are two reasons to give this thoughtful consideration.

How wet the soil is will determine which plants will flourish.
Restoring a functional ecosystem means combining species that normally live in community and thus support the complicated web of associated animal species. Biodiversity includes not only many plant species but also a variety of heights - canopy and understory trees, shrubs, and the ground layer.

Along streams, there are plants that live on the side of the banks where their roots have good drainage but there may be occasional flooding. In the lower reaches of streams, the next zone is floodplains - the soil is saturated intermittently - or swamps or marshes with permanently saturated soil. Upstream, smaller streams that never jump their banks do not have floodplains (or only have tiny areas within the banks) but are simply buffered by woods. It is ideal to determine the plant community type of nearby woods to guide your planting decisions. But if you are planting a riparian buffer near a stream or pond that has minimal floodplain (and no bordering swamp or marsh), choosing plants from the Mixed Mesic plant community would be a good guess.

Ponds and lakes in Northern Virginia are human-made creations, so there is no local natural reference. You can use the same scheme as for streams plus add marginal plants - ones that actually grow in the standing water.

In all cases, also check the light requirement for each species.

Marshes are sunny wetlands, swamps are wooded.

If your property is in a tidal area, or includes a seep or bog, note the column for that. Wetlands are precious. Please consult an expert in plant communities before attempting to “help” them.

This is a very big spreadsheet. To open it in Google Drive or download it from there, click here. The term "forb" is what gardeners know as perennials and annuals (most of these are perennial.)

Scientific name	Common name	Category	shade	part_sun	sun	Marginal (in the water)	Water depth	Stream banks (the side of the channel)	Flood plain (intermittently saturated)	Woodland just uphill from floodplain (Mixed Mesic Hardwood Forests)	Swamp (constantly saturated)	Inland marsh (constantly saturated)	Swamp hummocks	Freshwater tidal	Seep or seepage swamp	Bog	Floating	Comments
Liquidambar styraciflua	Sweetgum	Tree		x	x				x	x	x			x				Usually seen in floodplain forests where they may be periodically inundated but soils are usually unsaturated
Liriodendron tulipifera	Tulip-tree	Tree			x					x
Magnolia virginiana	Sweetbay Magnolia, Swamp Magnolia	Tree	x	x						x	x			x	x	x		Bogs and swamps, not floodplains
Nyssa sylvatica	Black Gum	Tree	x	x	x				x	x	x				x			Usually seen in floodplain forests where they may be periodically inundated but soils are usually unsaturated
Ostrya virginiana	Hophornbeam	Tree	x	x	x					x
Oxydendrum arboreum	Sourwood	Tree		x	x					x
Pinus taeda	Loblolly Pine	Tree			x					x	x							Not a NOVA native?
Platanus occidentalis	American sycamore	Tree		x	x			x	x		x
Prunus serotina var. serotina	Black cherry	Tree			x					x
Quercus alba	White Oak	Tree		x	x					x
Quercus bicolor	Swamp White Oak	Tree		x	x					x	x
Quercus coccinea	Scarlet Oak	Tree			x					x
Quercus falcata	Southern Red Oak	Tree			x					x
Quercus michauxii	Swamp Chestnut Oak, Basket Oak	Tree			x				x	x	x			x
Quercus palustris	Pin Oak	Tree			x				x		x							Usually seen in floodplain forests where they may be periodically inundated but soils are usually unsaturated
Quercus phellos	Willow Oak	Tree		x	x				x	x	x							Usually seen in floodplain forests where they may be periodically inundated but soils are usually unsaturated
Quercus shumardii	Shumard Oak	Tree			x					x
Quercus stellata	Post Oak	Tree		x	x					x
Quercus velutina	Black Oak	Tree		x	x					x
Salix nigra	Black Willow	Tree		x	x			x			x			x				Black willow typically grows at the edges of ponds or lakes or swamp hummocks, low energy flood zones where the root plate is above the normal saturation zone
Sassafras albidum	Sassafras	Tree		x	x					x
Taxodium distichum	Bald Cypress	Tree	x	x		x	0-3 feet				x			x	x			Not a NOVA native?
Carya glabra	Pignut Hickory	Tree		x	x					x
Carya ovata	Shagbark Hickory	Tree		x	x					x
Carya tomentosa	Mockernut Hickory	Tree		x	x					x
Cornus florida	Flowering Dogwood	Tree		x						x
Bignonia capreolata	Cross-vine	Vine		x	x				x	x	x			x
Campsis radicans	Trumpet Creeper	Vine		x	x					x
Clematis virginiana	Virgin’s-bower	Vine	x	x	x				x
Lonicera sempervirens	Coral Honeysuckle	Vine		x	x					x
Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Virginia Creeper	Vine	x	x	x				x	x	x
Scirpus cyperinus	Woolgrass bulrush	Grass			x	x	0-6"				x	x		x	x	x
Typha angustifolia	Narrow-leaf Cattail	Grass		x	x	x	0-12"							x
Typha latifolia	Common Cattail	Grass		x	x	x	0-12"				x	x		x
Zizania aquatica	Southern Wild Rice	Grass			x	x	0-12"							x
Chasmanthium laxum	Slender Wood Oats	Grass	x	x						x
Danthonia spicata	Poverty Oat Grass	Grass	x	x	x					x
Aronia arbutifolia	Red Chokeberry	Shrub			x						x				x	x
Aronia melanocarpa (Photinia melanocarpa)	Black Chokeberry	Shrub		x	x						x				x	x
Baccharis halimifolia	High Tide Bush, Groundsel Tree, Mullet Bush	Shrub			x									x				Can tolerate the edge of standing water. also colonizing moist, abused land, roadsides, ditches, old fields, and a variety of other disturbed areas,
Cephalanthus occidentalis	Buttonbush	Shrub		x	x	x	0-3'	x			x	x
Cornus amomum	Silky Dogwood	Shrub		x	x			x	x		x
Eubotrys racemosus	Fetterbush, Swamp Dog Hobble	Shrub	x	x					x	x				x	x	x		Found on acidic, low nutrient soils. Usually seen in areas where their root plate is above the saturation zone.
Euonymus americanus	Strawberry-bush, Heart’s-a-bustin’	Shrub	x	x	x				x				x
Gaylussacia baccata	Black Huckleberry	Shrub	x	x					x	x
Hamamelis virginiana	Witch Hazel	Shrub	x	x	x					x
Hydrangea arborescens	Smooth Hydrangea	Shrub	x	x				x										At least a couple feet above the normal waterline
Ilex decidua	Possum-Haw	Shrub		x	x					x
Ilex verticillata	Winterberry, Winterberry Holly, Black Alder	Shrub	x	x	x			x	x	x	x				x	x		Usually seen in areas where their root plate is above the saturation zone.
Itea virginica	Virginia Willow, Virginia Sweetspire	Shrub		x	x			x	x		x				x
Lindera benzoin	Spicebush	Shrub	x	x	x			x	x		x			x				A couple feet above the normal waterline
Physocarpus opulifolius	Ninebark	Shrub	x	x	x			x							x
Rhododendron maximum	Great Rhododendron	Shrub	x	x							x					x
Rhododendron periclymenoides	Pinxterbloom Azalea	Shrub		x	x					x
Rhododendron viscosum	Swamp Azalea, Clammy Azalea	Shrub		x	x						x			x	x	x
Rosa palustris	Swamp Rose	Shrub	x	x	x						x	x		x	x	x
Salix sericea	Silky Willow	Shrub	x	x	x			x							x	x
Sambucus canadensis	Common Elderberry, American Elder	Shrub		x					x	x	x
Spiraea alba	Meadowsweet	Shrub		x	x			x			x	x			x	x
Vaccinium corymbosum	Highbush Blueberry, Northern Highbush Blueberry	Shrub	x	x	x				x	x	x				x	x		Found on acidic, low nutrient soils. Usually seen in areas where their root plate is above the saturation zone.
Vaccinium fuscatum	Black Highbush Blueberry	Shrub	x	x	x					x	x			x	x	x		Likes swamp hummocks & vernal pools as well as floodplains. Acid soil. Best fruit in full sun.
Vaccinium pallidum	Early Lowbush Blueberry	Shrub	x	x						x
Viburnum dentatum	Arrow-wood, Southern Arrow-wood Viburnum	Shrub	x	x	x				x		x			x	x
Viburnum nudum	Possum-haw Viburnum, Southern Wild Raisin	Shrub	x	x	x					x	x			x	x	x
Viburnum prunifolium	Blackhaw Viburnum, Nannyberry	Shrub	x	x	x				x
Morella cerifera	Wax Myrtle, Southen Bayberry	Shrub		x	x					x				x	x
Alnus serrulata	Smooth Alder, Hazel Alder	Tree			x			x	x					x		x		Alder typically grows at the edges of ponds or lakes or swamp hummocks, low energy flood zones where the root plate is above the normal saturation zone
Acer rubrum	Red Maple	Tree	x	x	x				x	x	x		x					Seems to create its own hummocks in a swamp
Amelanchier arborea	Downy Serviceberry	Tree	x	x	x					x	x				x			At least a couple feet above the normal waterline
Amelanchier canadensis	Canadian Serviceberry	Tree		x	x					x	x			x		x
Amelanchier laevis	Smooth Serviceberry	Tree	x	x											x	x
Asimina triloba	Paw Paw	Tree	x	x	x			x	x	x
Betula nigra	River Birch	Tree		x				x	x
Carpinus caroliniana	American Hornbeam, Ironwood	Tree	x	x				x	x	x	x			x
Carya cordiformis	Bitternut Hickory	Tree			x			x	x	x
Celtis occidentalis	Common Hackberry	Tree	x	x	x				x
Chionanthus virginicus	Fringe Tree	Tree	x	x	x						x			x				At least a couple feet above the normal waterline
Diospyros virginiana	Common or American Persimmon	Tree		x						x	x
Fagus grandifolia	American Beech	Tree	x	x	x					x
Ilex opaca	American Holly	Tree	x	x	x					x
Juniperus virginiana	Eastern Red Cedar	Tree		x	x			x		x
Packera aurea	Golden Ragwort	Forb	x	x	x			x	x					x	x
Peltandra virginica	Arrow Arum, Green Arrow Arum, Tuckahoe	Forb		x	x	x	0-6"				x	x		x
Phlox maculata	Meadow Phlox, Wild Sweet William	Forb	x	x	x			x				x			x	x
Podophyllum peltatum	Mayapple	Forb	x	x						x
Pontederia cordata	Pickerel Weed	Forb	Full sun		x	x	0-12"				x			x
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium	Narrow-leaf or Slender Mountain-mint	Forb		x	x							x
Rhexia virginica	Virginia Meadow Beauty, Deergrass	Forb			x	"depression ponds"	?									x
Rudbeckia laciniata	Cut-leaf Coneflower, Common Cut-leaf Coneflower, Green-headed Coneflower	Forb		x	x			riverbanks	x		x	x		x	x
Sagittaria graminea	Grass-leaved Arrowhead	Forb		x	x	x	0-12"							x
Sagittaria latifolia	Wildenow	Forb			x	x	0-3"				x			x				stream margins
Saururus cernuus	Lizardtail	Forb		x	x	x	0-6"		x					x
Scutellaria integrifolia	Rough or Hyssop Skullcap, Helmet Flower	Forb		x	x	"ponds"	?		x	x	x	x			x
Sisyrinchium angustifolium	Narrow-leaved Blue-eyed-grass	Forb		x	x					x
Solidago rugosa	Wrinkle-leaved Goldenrod	Forb			x				x		x				x	x
Symphyotrichum lateriflorum	Calico Aster	Forb		x						x
Symphyotrichum novi-belgii	New York Aster	Forb		x	x						x			x		x
Symphyotrichum racemosum	Small White Aster	Forb		x	x				x	x	x			x
Thalictrum pubescens (T. polygamum)	Common Tall Meadow Rue, King of the Meadow	Forb	x	x	x			x	x		x	x			x	x
Verbena hastata	Blue Vervain, Common Vervain, Swamp Verbena	Forb		x	x			riverbanks				x
Vernonia noveboracensis	New York Ironweed	Forb		x	x			riverbanks	x		x	x		x
Veronicastrum virginicum	Culver's-root	Forb		x	x				x		x	x		x	x
Viola pubescens	Yellow or Downy Yellow Violet	Forb		x					x
Viola sororia	Common Violet	Forb		x	x				x				x
Viola striata	Striped White or Cream Violet	Forb		x					x
Zizia aurea	Golden-alexanders	Forb	x	x	x				x		x				x
Aralia spinosa	Devil's Walking Stick	Forb		x	x					x
Andropogon virginicus	Broomsedge, Broomstraw, Sedge Grass	Grass			x													"Depression ponds"
Carex amphibola	Eastern Narrowleaf Sedge	Grass	x	x					x				x
Carex crinita	Long-fringed Sedge	Grass		x	x	x	0-6"		x		x			x	x	x
Carex glaucodea	Blue wood sedge	Grass	x	x					x		x
Carex grayii	Gray's Sedge	Grass	x	x	x	x	?		x		x			x
Carex laxiculmis	Spreading sedge	Grass	x	x					x
Carex lupulina	Hop Sedge	Grass	x	x	x	x	0-6"		x		x			x
Carex lurida	Lurid Sedge	Grass	x	x	x	x	0-6"		x			x		x		x
Carex radiata	Eastern Star Sedge	Grass	x	x					x		x				x
Carex rosea	Rosy Sedge	Grass	x	x					x
Carex stricta	Tussock Sedge	Grass		x	x	x	0-6"		x		x	x		x	x	x
Carex swanii	Swan's Sedge	Grass		x	x				x		x
Carex vulpinoidea	Fox Sedge	Grass		x	x	x	0-6"		x		x				x
Chasmanthium latifolium	Northern Sea Oats	Grass	x	x					x				x	x
Dichanthelium clandestinum	Deer-Tongue Grass	Grass		x	x				x		x				x
Dulichium arundinaceum	Three-Way Sedge	Grass	x	x	x	x	0-4"				x			x		x
Elymus riparius	Riverbank Wild Rye	Grass	x	x				x	x
Elymus virginicus	Virginia Wild Rye	Grass	x	x					x		x			x
Equisetum hyemale	Tall Scouring Rush, Scouring Horsetail	Grass	x	x	x	x	0-6"	Riverbanks	x
Juncus effusus	Common rush	Grass		x	x	x	0-6"			x		x			x
Lemna minor	Common duckweed	Grass															x
Limnobium spongia	American Frogbit	Grass		x	x												x
Panicum virgatum	Switchgrass	Grass		x	x						x	x		x
Saccharum giganteum	Giant Plumegrass	Grass		x	x	x	?							x		x
Matteuccia struthiopteris	Ostrich fern	Fern	x	x							x
Onoclea sensibilis	Sensitive Fern, Bead Fern	Fern	x	x	x				x		x	x
Osmunda spectabilis var. spectabilis	Royal Fern	Fern	x	x	x				x	x	x			x		x		Favors seeps
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum	Cinnamon Fern	Fern	x	x	x				x	x	x			x	x	x		Likes swamp hummocks
Parathelypteris noveboracensis	New York fern	Fern		x	x				x	x			x
Polystichum acrostichoides	Christmas Fern	Fern	x	x						x
Pteridium aquilinum	Bracken Fern	Fern		x	x					x
Asplenium platyneuron	Ebony Spleenwort	Fern	x	x	x
Athyrium asplenioides (Athyrium filix-femina)	Southern Lady Fern	Fern	x	x
Polygonatum biflorum	Solomon's Seal	Forb	x	x						x
Arisaema triphyllum	Common Jack-in-the-pulpit	Forb	x	x					x		x		x
Asclepias incarnata	Swamp Milkweed	Forb		x	x			? "River and stream shores"			x	x		x
Azolla caroliniana	Mosquito Plant	Forb							Floodplain sloughs and pools					x			x
Brasenia schreberi	Watershield	Forb													x		x
Caltha palustris	Marsh Marigold, Cowslip	Forb		x	x	x	0-1	x
Chelone glabra	White Turtlehead	Forb	x	x	x			x	x		x	x			x	x
Conoclinium coelestinum	Mistflower, Ageratum	Forb	x	x					x		x	x
Dicentra eximia	Wild Bleeding heart	Forb	x	x				"cobbly terraces and stream banks formed in massive alluvial fans"
Eupatorium perfoliatum	Boneset, Common Boneset	Forb	x	x	x	x		x	x			x		x		x
Eutrochium dubium	Joe-pye-weed "Little Joe)	Forb		x	x				x		x					x
Eutrochium fistulosum	Purple Joe-pye-weed	Forb	x	x	x			Riverbanks	x		x	x			x
Eutrochium maculatum	Spotted Joe Pye Weed	Forb			x			x				x
Fragaria virginiana	Wild Strawberry	Forb		x	x
Gentiana clausa	Bottle Gentian, Closed Gentian	Forb		x					x		x	x			x
Goodyera pubescens	Downy Rattlesnake Plantain	Forb		x						x
Helenium autumnale	Sneezeweed	Forb	x	x	x	x	?	Riverbanks	x					x	x	x
Helianthus angustifolius	Narrow-leaved Sunflower	Forb		x		x	0-2									x
Hexastylis virginica	Wild Ginger	Forb	x							x
Hibiscus laevis	Halberdleaf Rosemallow	Forb		x	x	x	?		x
Hibiscus moscheutos	Swamp or Eastern Rose-mallow	Forb		x	x	x	0-6"	"river shores"	x		x	x		x
Houstonia caerulea	Common Bluet	Forb		x	x
Hydrocotyle umbellata	Marsh Water Pennywort	Forb		x	x	x	0-6"				x			x	x
Hydrocotyle verticillata	Pennywort	Forb									x	x		x			x
Impatiens capensis	Orange Jewelweed, Spotted Jewelweed	Forb	x	x		x	0-4"		x		x	x		x	x
Iris versicolor	Water Iris	Forb		x	x	x	0-6"				x	x		x
Iris virginica	Virginia Blueflag, Southern Blueflag	Forb		x	x	x	"A few inches over the crown"		x		x			x
Lilium canadense	Canada Lily	Forb		x	x							x			x
Lilium superbum	Turk's Cap Lily	Forb		x	x						x			x	x
Lobelia cardinalis	Cardinal Flower	Forb	x	x	x	x	0-3"		x		x	x		x	x
Lobelia siphilitica	Great Blue Lobelia	Forb	x	x	x			x	x			x			x
Ludwigia alternifolia	Seedbox	Forb		x	x						x	x		x
Lycopus uniflorus	Northern Bugleweed	Forb		x	x			x				x			x	x		Near the waterline
Lysimachia ciliata	Fringed Yellow Loosestrife	Forb	x	x					x		x			x	x
Mitchella repens	Partridgeberry	Forb		x	x					x
Mertensia virginica	Virginia Bluebell	Forb	x	x					x
Mimulus ringens	Square-stemmed Monkeyflower, Allegheny Monkeyflower	Forb		x	x						x	x		x
Monarda didyma	Scarlet Beebalm, Oswego Tea	Forb		x	x			x							x
Nymphaea odorata	Fragrant Waterlily	Forb		x	x												x
Orontium aquatic	Golden Clubtail	Forb		x		x	0-18"							x	x	x
Osmorhiza claytonii	Sweet Cicely {or O. longistylis}	Forb	x						x