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It’s a perennial herb, spreading by rhizomes (underground stems) so it can cover ground and come back year after year.

Prefers moist, rich soils with good organic matter. Full sun to part shade works best. Doesn’t do well in dry soil.

Often found along edges of streams, ditches, pond margins, moist fields, disturbed soils.

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Primary producer: it photosynthesizes, making its own food using sunlight, CO₂, water, minerals. All energy for higher trophic levels originates from producers like it.

It provides food & habitat for herbivores: insects and possibly mammals in some settings. Also its flowers supply nectar & pollen for bees and butterflies.

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Native to Europe and southern temperate Asia.

Naturalized in many other parts of the world.

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Wikipedia: Spearmint (Mentha spicata)

North Carolina State University (“plants.ces.ncsu.edu”) profile on Mentha spicata

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Usually perennial herbs, many spreading by rhizomes or via seed.

Thrive in open, sunny areas: meadows, fields, roadsides, disturbed land. Some prefer moist soil, others are more tolerant of dry soil.

Some goldenrod species also tolerate harsher conditions: sandy or rocky soil, salt spray (seaside), or thin soils on ledges.

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Primary producer: goldenrod makes its own food via photosynthesis.

Pollinator magnet: flowers provide nectar and pollen to bees, butterflies, other insects.

Herbivores feed on leaves or stems; then those are eaten by predators. Seeds are used by birds. Also provides structure/habitat for insects.

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Most goldenrods are native to North America.

Some species are also native to Europe and Asia.

Different species have different ranges: e.g. Solidago canadensis is widespread across the U.S. & Canada; seaside goldenrod is coastal; others are more specialized.

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Encyclopaedia Britannica article on goldenrod

Wikipedia: Solidago canadensis

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It’s a shrub that often forms dense thickets by spreading via stems rooting where they touch soil.

Prefers moist to wet soils: stream banks, wet meadows, pond or lake edges, marshy or riparian areas.

Tolerates full sun to partial shade. Does okay in somewhat variable soil types. It doesn’t like to stay dry for too long.

Can survive flooding.

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Primary producer: photosynthesizes. Leaves convert sunlight + CO2 into energy.

Provides flowers that feed pollinators (bees, butterflies, etc.).

Berries feed many bird species, small mammals; new shoots and stems are consumed by larger mammals especially in winter or when other food is scarce.

Also provides shelter / nesting habitat.

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Native throughout much of North America: large parts of Canada, Alaska, and most of the northern U.S., also extending into western and mountainous regions farther south.

Elevation: from sea level up to 3000 meters in some places depending on subspecies.

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Wikipedia: Cornus sericea

Morton Arboretum plant profile

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Deciduous shrub, often forms thickets (roots or stems that touch the ground can root).

Likes moist/wet soils: swamp borders, marsh edges, along streams and ponds, wet lowlands.

Tolerates part shade to full sun, but does poorly in dry places. Needs soil that stays somewhat cool and moist.

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Primary producer — makes its own food via photosynthesis.

Flowers attract pollinators.

Fruits are eaten by many birds and small mammals.

Foliage and new shoots browsed by larger mammals.

Provides cover, nesting habitat/shelter in its thickets.

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Native to eastern and central North America — from southern Ontario, through many U.S. eastern states, down into the southeast, and west to some Mississippi/Missouri-areas.

Found in wetland and riparian zones in those regions.

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Maryland Department of Natural Resources native plant profile

Wikipedia page on Cornus amomum

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Deciduous tree (loses leaves in winter).

Likes moist, fertile soils: bottomlands, floodplains, river banks, stream sides. But many elms are versatile and can grow in uplands or hillsides, provided soil is decent.

They tolerate full sun to part shade.

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Primary producer: does photosynthesis, producing biomass that supports many other organisms.

Leaves feed insects (caterpillars, leaf-chewers); buds and seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals.

Flowers (though not super showy) can support pollinating insects.

Trees also offer habitat: perches, nesting sites, shade, shelter.

Dead wood / leaf litter supports decomposers, insects, and builds soil.

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American Elm (Ulmus americana) is native to eastern North America: from Eastern Canada, westward into parts of central Canada & U.S., south through the eastern U.S. toward Florida and Texas.

Other elm species are native to Europe, Asia, and other temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

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Wikipedia article on Ulmus americana

Britannica article on Elm trees (genus Ulmus)

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Biennial plant: first year it grows a rosette of leaves near the ground; second year it sends up a flower stalk.

Likes sunny or partly sunny spots; dry to moderately dry soils. Doesn’t need super rich soil.

Often found in disturbed or open environments: abandoned fields, roadsides, meadows, pastures, fence rows.

Can thrive in sandy, gravelly, or well-drained soils.

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Native to temperate parts of Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia.

Now naturalized in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and many temperate zones elsewhere.

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Plants of the World Online, Kew Science

Wikipedia: Daucus carota

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Shrubby / small tree, forms dense colonies by sending up shoots from roots & rhizomes.

Likes wet or periodically flooded soils (streambanks, sandbars, river edges) but can handle some drying.

Needs good sunlight; thrives in open areas, not deep shade.

Flexible roots allow it to stabilize soil in riparian zones; good at grabbing loose sediment and binding it.

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Primary producer: photosynthesizes, fixes carbon, builds biomass.

Its flowers (catkins) supply pollen/nectar for pollinators.

Leaves/stems are eaten by various herbivores (insects, small mammals).

Seeds are dispersed and feed small wildlife.

Helps protect habitat: provides shelter, reduces erosion, shades water which can help aquatic life downstream.

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Native broadly in North America: in arid to semi-arid western and central parts, plus riparian zones.

Subspecies interior tends more toward central/northern interior regions rather than just the very dry west.

Found from Alaska through parts of Canada, down into U.S. states along river systems, especially where there are sandbars or floodplains.

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Wikipedia article on Salix exigua

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Grows as a deciduous shrub (or small tree), up to about 20 feet tall.

Likes open, disturbed areas: roadsides, fields, forest edges, pastures, and any places where sunlight gets in.

Can tolerate a lot: poor soil, dry soil, infertile soils. Doesn’t like deep shade much — needs at least partial sunlight.

Has nitrogen-fixing roots (with nodules that host bacteria) so it can survive in soil that’s low in nutrients.

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Primary producer: uses photosynthesis to grow and make biomass.

Flowers attract pollinators (insects) when it blooms.

Produces lots of fruit (berries) that birds and mammals eat, which helps spread its seeds.

Because it’s aggressive, it competes with native plants: shades them, takes up space, changes soil chemistry.

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Native to eastern Asia (Japan, Korea, parts of China).

Introduced to the U.S. around 1830 and now naturalized / invasive in many parts of the eastern and midwestern United States, also in parts of Canada.

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Wikipedia: Elaeagnus umbellata

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Perennial wildflower, with clumping growth.

Prefers moist to wet soils: meadows that stay damp, edges of wetlands, streambanks, marshes, ditches. Some species tolerate average moisture if soil remains fairly rich.

Sun to partial shade (full sun usually gives the best flowering, but partial shade works in hotter spots)

Soil should be fertile, humus-rich, not allowed to dry out too much. Some tolerate more dryness or different soil types, but performance drops if dry.

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Primary producer: converts sunlight into energy and biomass.

Big magnet for pollinators — bees, butterflies, and other insects feed on its nectar and pollen.

Seeds feed birds in late summer and fall once the heads dry.

Leaves and stems are food for some insect larvae; the plant also provides cover and helps stabilize wet soil.

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Native across much of eastern and central North America.

Different species have different ranges; Eutrochium maculatum is common from southern Canada down through much of the eastern U.S.

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Wikipedia: Eutrochium maculatum

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Grows in very wet soils and shallow water, often along streams, ponds, ditches, and marshes.

Prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade.

Thrives in consistently damp ground; struggles in dry conditions.

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Primary producer: converts sunlight into energy and biomass.

Important nectar source for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

Supports aquatic insects that in turn feed fish, birds, and amphibians.

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Native to Europe, parts of Africa, and western Asia.

Widely naturalized in other temperate regions worldwide.

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Wikipedia (Mentha aquatica)