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You cannot research native plants without running into the term “keystone species” on almost every page. But what are keystone species?

“Keystone Species” is a term popularized by Dr. Doug Tallamy, an entomologist and the author of “Nature’s Best Hope” and “Bringing Nature Home.” His books and non-profit, Homegrown National Park, are almost single-handedly responsible for today’s backyard conservation and native plant movement. His team of researchers at the University of Delaware discovered that around 14% of native plant species support around 90% of butterfly and moth species. Because other animals, especially birds, rely solely on butterfly and moth caterpillars as a source of food for their young, keystone species are a fundamental building block of food webs, and without them, the whole system would collapse. If you have limited space in your yard, your best bet to help wildlife then is to focus on planting keystone species.

Keystone plants are organized according to ecoregions, which are areas of country that are ecologically similar regardless of state lines or USDA zones. The National Wildlife Federation, in partnership with Doug Tallamy, has published top keystone plant lists for each ecoregion in the US, along with a searchable database that suggests keystone species for your zip code.

All of the Southeastern United States are in Ecoregion 8: the Eastern Temperate Forest. According the the NWF, the top 10 keystone plants for Ecoregion 8 are:

As you can see, butterflies primarily rely on tree species, so if you have room in your yard, planting trees is the way to go. The top tree species for butterflies and bees are Willow (Salix), which supports 289 butterfly and 14 bee species, and Dogwood (Cornus), which supports 98 butterfly and 4 bee species. If you don’t have room to plant a tree, then your best bet is to plant Blueberry (Vaccinium), Goldenrod (Solidago), and Aster (Symphyotrichum). While none of these plants are in the top 10 for both butterflies and bees, they are keystone species for both. Vaccinium supports 217 butterfly and 14 bee species, Solidago supports 104 butterfly and 42 bee species, and Symphyotrichum supports 100 butterfly and 33 bee species.

Keystone species mean you can make a huge impact with just a small number of plants. If you’re new to native plants, then take Homegrown National Park’s 1 Plant Challenge, and try planting just 1 native plant in your yard. You’ll be amazed at how much wildlife just 1 plant supports.