Keystone Plants

About Keystone Plants

Professor Doug Tallamy and Homegrown National Park define keystone species as the plants that support the most native fauna (animals and insects). Dr. Tallamy has a recorded lecture titled "The Nature of Oaks," in which he highlights these plants as biodiversity superstars. Plant Virginia Natives lists 30 important keystone plant species. The Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia expand this list to include additional woody and herbaceous plants, helping homeowners with smaller spaces and no room for additional canopy trees. For a detailed introduction to more native plants, consider watching Elaine Mills and Kathie Clements video presentation, Keystone Species of Native Plants.

Why plant keystone species?

As landscapes become more urban and suburban sprawl spreads into agrarian areas, planting keystones helps mitigate the loss of native species. Keystone plants support wildlife, including birds and insects, and play an important role in maintaining healthy, biodiverse ecosystems. Grouping keystone plants and focusing on native canopy trees strengthens the functionality of landscape designs beyond simple aesthetics. This includes integrating understory and flowering plants to help pollinators and migratory birds. If you are in an urban area, planting keystone species on your balcony, in your garden yard, or in the apartment common spaces, and within condominium communal spaces will help sustain wildlife, insects, and the environment. Encouraging local governments to plant keystone species on public lands and in parks is another way to support the environment. 

Janit's Keystone Favorites

Some of my favorite keystone species are featured in the pen-and-ink sketch above. White oaks are majestic trees of Virginia’s climax forests that last for generations. Its leathery, rounded leaves are a rich summer green that turn leathery brown in the fall before dropping rich leaf litter for ground-loving insects and animals.  

River birch is another favorite keystone species. Some years ago, when my youngest son was in kindergarten, a friend gave me a small river birch for my backyard. Over the years, I have watched this tree grow and thrive in the grey, wet, mottled soil of my suburban home. It now provides a summer buffer to neighbors, along with the hickory and red oaks that surround it. 

As a child, my family gathered black walnuts from my grandfather’s farm in Nottoway County, Virginia. While I was not a fan of cracking and picking the meat, I grew up enjoying the strong flavor of black walnuts, especially in homemade fudge. This tree and its nuts are unmatched as a food source for wildlife.   

Understory plants, especially blueberries, offer an integrated network of food sources for a variety of wildlife and birds. This past fall, I specified blueberries in planting designs for some of the open spaces within the Brandermill Community.  As woods around our community are being cleared for development, the wildlife will enjoy the berries as these shrubs mature. 

Goldenrod, an herbaceous keystone plant, pops with yellow blooms in the fall, supporting many pollinators. It naturalizes along community paths and at neighborhood entrances. It is a delight to see it blooming late in the season, and the seed pods are a source of winter food for birds.