Beneficial plants are plants that require minimal maintenance, such as trimming, watering and fertilizer or pesticide applications, because they are well-adapted to local climate and soil types. Beneficial plants begin with native, or indigenous species. It doesn’t stop there, many cultivated varieties are also beneficial if they have few maintenance requirements and are not invasive.
Beneficial plants also improve wildlife habitat. Since many beneficial plants are also native plants, local birds, mammals and other wildlife have come to depend upon them for fruits, nuts and seeds. These plant communities also provide breeding and nesting sites.
Hidden Springs Lake is host to several beneficial native plants. They include, but are not limited to the following plants.
Winterberry 
White Meadowsweet 
Blue Vervain 
Butterfly Weed 
Bog Birch 
Steeplebush 
Broadleaf Cattail 
Swamp Milkweed 
Pickerelweed 
Swamp Rose 
Grass-Leaved Goldenrod 
Monkey Flower 
Hardstem Bulrush 
Common Milkweed 
Sneezeweed
We encourage you to sustain any of these that you may find naturalized on your property. Hopefully you’ll be inspired to plant or cultivate these and other beneficial plant varieties.
Informational Brochures
SHORELINE PLANTS AND LANDSCAPING
A GUIDE TO SELECTING LANDSCAPE PLANTS FOR WISCONSIN
