Spicebush

Lindera benzoin

Spicebush is the native woodland shrub that works from February through November. The tiny yellow flowers open on bare stems in late February and March. one of the earliest blooms in the landscape, providing critical early-season nectar for native bees that emerge on the first warm days of late winter. Crush a leaf and you get an immediate clean, spicy, almost allspice fragrance that identifies this plant instantly. The bright red berries that ripen in September are almost 40% fat by weight. exactly what warblers, thrushes, and veeries need to fuel fall migration. It's the sole larval host plant for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly, one of the most beautiful butterflies in eastern North America. The caterpillars roll leaves into shelters and eat from within. if you find one, leave it. The fall foliage is clear, buttery yellow. Deer won't touch it. This is one of the highest-value native shrubs in the Mid-Atlantic landscape, full stop.