Native plants for Black Hawk County, Iowa
24 native plants recorded in Black Hawk County, Iowa
USDA has only 33 plant records of any kind for Black Hawk County, against 1,728 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 24 below as a floor.
By type: 21 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges, 1 low woody plants. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 8 of them (33%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Black Hawk County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 8 | 0 | 16 |
| Half shade | 6 | 2 | 16 |
| Under trees | 3 | 5 | 16 |
| Heavy clay | 5 | 3 | 16 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 5 | 3 | 16 |
| Never watered | 2 | 6 | 16 |
| Stays soggy | 4 | 4 | 16 |
Sun all day in Black Hawk County: 8 rated natives
7 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants. The first 8, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Pinnate prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Rattlesnake fern (Botrychium virginianum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4.9 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Half shade in Black Hawk County: 6 rated natives
5 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants. The first 6, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Pinnate prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · high shade tolerance · toxicity: moderate - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4.9 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Under trees in Black Hawk County: 3 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs. The first 3, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Pinnate prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate
Heavy clay in Black Hawk County: 5 rated natives
4 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate - Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4.9 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · needs saturated soil (pond or bog), not a regular bed
Sandy, drains fast in Black Hawk County: 5 rated natives
5 wildflowers and herbs. The first 5, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Pinnate prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Northern maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 1.3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate
Never watered in Black Hawk County: 2 rated natives
2 wildflowers and herbs. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 1.2 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Pinnate prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Stays soggy in Black Hawk County: 4 rated natives
3 wildflowers and herbs, 1 low woody plants. The first 4, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) low woody plants
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 4.9 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · takes saturated soil - Nodding beggartick (Bidens cernua) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · conspicuous flowers · photo available · about 3.2 ft mature · rapid growth - Smooth horsetail (Equisetum laevigatum) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 5 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · takes saturated soil · toxicity: moderate - Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) wildflowers and herbs
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 0.9 ft mature · rapid growth · perennial · toxicity: moderate
Natives Black Hawk County has that most of Iowa does not
1 natives here are on file in no more than 5 of Iowa's 99 counties. A few of them:
- Openfield sedge (Carex conoidea): 2 counties
Where to start in Black Hawk County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Black Hawk County gives you the most rated choice (8 plants), and Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) is the easiest start on that list. Never watered is the hard one here: 2 rated plants, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 16 unrated natives too.