Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests ecoregion

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Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

RESOLVE 329

The Mixed Mesophytic — the most species-diverse temperate hardwood forest in North America — covers the Cumberland Plateau and adjacent unglaciated dissected uplands of West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, southern Ohio, southwestern Virginia, and eastern Tennessee. Sugar maple, American beech, tulip poplar, yellow buckeye, basswood, and white ash share cove-forest canopies with more than two dozen co-dominant species — a richness inherited from being ice-sheet-free during the Pleistocene.

Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 38.2°N, 82.2°W.

Climate snapshot for this ecoregion

°C

°F

USDA zone range (now)

6a-8b

USDA

What seed packets and nursery tags reference. Coldest-day survival semantics.

Plotwright projection (2041–2070)

9a-11b

Plotwright

Where CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.

Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +5.6°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.

• Cove forests in this ecoregion are projected to lose roughly a USDA zone of "cool-side" species range over the century — sugar maple, yellow birch, and eastern hemlock are the most exposed.

• Oak-hickory and tulip poplar associations are advancing upslope and northward into the gaps left by retreating northern hardwoods.

• Episodic late-spring frost damage on early-blooming serviceberry, pawpaw, and redbud is increasing as bloom phenology outruns the last frost date.

At a glance

States / provinces

West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania

Dominant biome

Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests

Realm

Nearctic

Approximate area

70,054 sq mi

Elevation range

500 – 4,000 ft

Climate type

Humid continental (Köppen Cfa/Dfa)

Conservation tier

Nature Could Reach Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 2)

About the temperate broadleaf & mixed forests biome

Four-season forests of deciduous hardwoods — oak, maple, beech — often mixed with conifers, shaped by warm summers and cold winters. Trees leaf out in spring and color in autumn; the generally fertile soils have made these forests heavily settled and farmed.

National refinement sub-regions

Within this RESOLVE ecoregion, national agencies recognise finer-grained sub-regions. Plotwright assigns each sub-region polygon to its containing RESOLVE polygon by centroid.

EPA Level III (US-only) — 4 sub-regions

67 · Ridge and Valley

68 · Southwestern Appalachians

69 · Central Appalachians

70 · Western Allegheny Plateau

Source: USGS / EPA via Omernik (1987).

What's native here

Catalog plants whose Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center native-distribution range overlaps the 6-state/province roster for this ecoregion. Distinct from the “suited” section below — these are plants that belong here, not just plants that will grow here.

Grain caveat: native here means “native to at least one state / province this ecoregion crosses,” not necessarily native to this ecoregion's specific habitat. A plant tied to wet meadows that crosses Ontario will surface for any Ontario-spanning ecoregion. Finer per-ecoregion native-status data is a future arc.

Native here · 133

American red raspberry

Black tupelo (black gum)

Canadian serviceberry

Cardinal flower

Carolina allspice (sweetshrub)

Maypop (purple passionflower)

Northern maidenhair fern

Short-toothed mountain mint

Summersweet (sweet pepperbush)

Tulip tree (yellow poplar)

Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion

Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer published current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.

Climate-resilient picks · 265

These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.

American red raspberry

Bearberry (kinnikinnick)

Black tupelo (black gum)

Calendula (pot marigold)

Canadian serviceberry

Cantaloupe

Cardinal flower

Carolina allspice (sweetshrub)

Firecracker penstemon

Fragrant plantain lily

Maypop (purple passionflower)

Northern maidenhair fern

Short-toothed mountain mint

Summersweet (sweet pepperbush)

Tulip tree (yellow poplar)

Currently suited · 5

These plants fit the ecoregion as it is today, but the mid-century projection moves them outside their stated zone range — plan for them to struggle by 2070.

Newly possible by 2070 · 8

These plants don't fit the current zone range yet, but the mid-century projection brings them into reach. Long-horizon picks for the climate-adaptation wedge.

Wildlife your native plants here support

What this surface IS — and isn't

Inferred from the relationships catalog plants native to this region have with wildlife. We don't carry direct wildlife-range data per ecoregion — this lists what your native plant palette here can support, not a verified checklist of what occurs here. Cross-check the range note on each wildlife's detail page before treating a row as a presence claim.

Only plants with structured native-distribution data contribute here. Old World cultivars and most vegetables are excluded by design — this view shows “what your native palette supports,” not “what your whole garden does.” It will grow as more plants gain native-range data.

Larval hosts · 29

Plants that caterpillars and other larvae feed on while growing.

Butterfly

Eastern tiger swallowtail

Papilio glaucus

30 native plants here: American plum, Black cherry, Black willow + 27 more

Moth

Polyphemus moth

Antheraea polyphemus

25 native plants here: American basswood, American hophornbeam, American persimmon + 22 more

Butterfly · Specialist support

Skipper butterflies

Hesperiidae (family-level entry)

16 native plants here: Adam's needle, Big bluestem, Blue grama + 13 more

Butterfly · Specialist support

Monarch butterfly

Danaus plexippus

14 native plants here: Butterfly weed, Common milkweed, Swamp milkweed + 11 more

Moth

Hummingbird clearwing moth

Hemaris thysbe

11 native plants here: American plum, Arrowwood viburnum, Beach plum + 8 more

Moth

Imperial moth

Eacles imperialis

10 native plants here: Black walnut, Bur oak, Eastern white pine + 7 more

Moth

Io moth

Automeris io

10 native plants here: Allegheny blackberry, American red raspberry, Black willow + 7 more

Moth

Cecropia moth

Hyalophora cecropia

8 native plants here: Black cherry, Black willow, Chokecherry + 5 more

Butterfly

Mourning cloak

Nymphalis antiopa

8 native plants here: Black willow, Common hackberry, Eastern cottonwood + 5 more

Moth · Specialist support

Hawkmoths

Sphingidae (family-level entry)

7 native plants here: Bald cypress, Black cherry, Chokecherry + 4 more

Moth

Luna moth

Actias luna

7 native plants here: American persimmon, American sweetgum, Black walnut + 4 more

Butterfly

Pearl crescent

Phyciodes tharos

7 native plants here: Aromatic aster, New England aster, Smooth blue aster + 4 more

Butterfly

Spring azure

Celastrina ladon

7 native plants here: American plum, Arrowwood viburnum, Black cherry + 4 more

Butterfly

Common buckeye

Junonia coenia

6 native plants here: Blue vervain, Foxglove beardtongue, Canada goldenrod + 3 more

Butterfly

Painted lady

Vanessa cardui

6 native plants here: Hardy hibiscus, Common milkweed, Dense blazing star + 3 more

Butterfly

Red-spotted purple

Limenitis arthemis astyanax

6 native plants here: Black cherry, Black willow, Chokecherry + 3 more

Butterfly · Specialist support

Great spangled fritillary

Speyeria cybele

4 native plants here: Common blue violet, Blue vervain, Boneset + 1 more

Butterfly

Viceroy

Limenitis archippus

4 native plants here: Black willow, Eastern cottonwood, Pussy willow + 1 more

Butterfly · Specialist support

Cloudless sulphur

Phoebis sennae

3 native plants here: Wild senna, Groundnut, Wild lupine

Moth · Specialist support

Milkweed tussock moth

Euchaetes egle

3 native plants here: Butterfly weed, Common milkweed, Swamp milkweed

Butterfly

Silvery checkerspot

Chlosyne nycteis

3 native plants here: Black-eyed Susan, Cutleaf coneflower, Purple coneflower

Butterfly · Specialist support

Spicebush swallowtail

Papilio troilus

3 native plants here: Northern spicebush, Sassafras, Tulip tree (yellow poplar)

Butterfly

Eastern comma

Polygonia comma

2 native plants here: Common hackberry, Common hops

Butterfly

Eastern tailed-blue

Cupido comyntas

2 native plants here: Wild lupine, Wild senna

Butterfly · Specialist support

Gulf fritillary

Agraulis vanillae

1 native plant here: Maypop (purple passionflower)

Butterfly

Black swallowtail

Papilio polyxenes

1 native plant here: Golden alexanders

Moth · Specialist support

Hydrangea sphinx moth

Darapsa versicolor

1 native plant here: Annabelle hydrangea

Butterfly · Specialist support

Karner blue

Plebejus melissa samuelis

1 native plant here: Wild lupine

Butterfly · Specialist support

Zebra swallowtail

Protographium marcellus

1 native plant here: Pawpaw

Pollinators · 7

Wildlife that moves pollen between flowers as it forages.

Bee · Specialist support

Common eastern bumblebee

Bombus impatiens

68 native plants here: Highbush blueberry, American red raspberry, Annabelle hydrangea + 65 more

Bee

European honeybee

Apis mellifera

33 native plants here: Common sunflower, Allegheny blackberry, American basswood + 30 more

Bird · Specialist support

Ruby-throated hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

17 native plants here: Garden phlox, Scarlet bee balm, Cardinal flower + 14 more

Bee

Sweat bees

Lasioglossum spp.

17 native plants here: Canadian serviceberry, American basswood, Blue vervain + 14 more

Bee

American bumblebee

Bombus pensylvanicus

10 native plants here: Common milkweed, Boneset, Canada goldenrod + 7 more

Bee

Mason bees

Osmia spp.

7 native plants here: American plum, Black cherry, Canadian serviceberry + 4 more

Bee

Eastern carpenter bee

Xylocopa virginica

3 native plants here: Butterfly weed, Common milkweed, Maypop (purple passionflower)

Nectar foragers · 5

Wildlife drawing nectar from the plant.

Fly

Hover flies (flower flies)

Syrphidae

14 native plants here: Aromatic aster, Black-eyed Susan, Boneset + 11 more

Bee

Rusty-patched bumble bee

Bombus affinis

11 native plants here: Aromatic aster, Dense blazing star, New England aster + 8 more

Bird

Baltimore oriole

Icterus galbula

6 native plants here: Cardinal flower, American elderberry, American plum + 3 more

Other

Green lacewings

Chrysopidae

4 native plants here: Boneset, Common yarrow, Golden alexanders + 1 more

Butterfly

Red admiral

Vanessa atalanta

2 native plants here: Boneset, Red mulberry

Pollen foragers · 4

Wildlife collecting pollen for food or provisioning.

Bee

Long-horned bees

Melissodes spp.

13 native plants here: Aromatic aster, Black-eyed Susan, Boneset + 10 more

Bee

Stem-nesting native bees

multiple genera (Ceratina, Hylaeus, Osmia, etc.)

10 native plants here: Pussy willow, American elderberry, Big bluestem + 7 more

Bee

Leafcutter bees

Megachile spp.

9 native plants here: Blue vervain, Boneset, Groundnut + 6 more

Bee

Mining bees

Andrena spp.

7 native plants here: American plum, Black cherry, Canadian serviceberry + 4 more

Fruit foragers · 7

Wildlife eating the plant’s fruit.

Bird

Eastern songbirds (multi-species)

multiple species (Passeriformes)

81 native plants here: Allegheny blackberry, American elderberry, American holly + 78 more

Bird

Downy woodpecker

Dryobates pubescens

16 native plants here: American elderberry, American persimmon, Red mulberry + 13 more

Bird

Cedar waxwing

Bombycilla cedrorum

15 native plants here: Allegheny blackberry, American holly, American persimmon + 12 more

Mammal

White-tailed deer

Odocoileus virginianus

13 native plants here: American persimmon, Common hackberry, Bur oak + 10 more

Bird

American robin

Turdus migratorius

12 native plants here: American elderberry, Arrowwood viburnum, Black cherry + 9 more

Bird

Eastern bluebird

Sialia sialis

9 native plants here: American elderberry, Black cherry, Canadian serviceberry + 6 more

Bird

Eastern phoebe

Sayornis phoebe

5 native plants here: American elderberry, Arrowwood viburnum, Black willow + 2 more

Seed foragers · 2

Wildlife eating the plant’s seed.

Bird · Specialist support

American goldfinch

Spinus tristis

8 native plants here: Common sunflower, Black-eyed Susan, Cutleaf coneflower + 5 more

Mammal

Eastern gray squirrel

Sciurus carolinensis

7 native plants here: Black walnut, Bur oak, Northern red oak + 4 more

Shelter · 3

Wildlife nesting in or sheltered by the plant.

Bird

Black-capped chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

11 native plants here: American plum, Black cherry, Black willow + 8 more

Beetle

Lady beetles

Coccinellidae

8 native plants here: American elderberry, Black cherry, Canada goldenrod + 5 more

Beetle

Common eastern firefly

Photinus pyralis

6 native plants here: American elderberry, Black willow, Bur oak + 3 more

Collections for this ecoregion

Curated multi-plant collections whose members all fit this ecoregion's zone range — no won't-grow members smuggled in. Overall fit class shown per collection is the weakest link across its members.

Climate-resilient · 2 plants

Bright shade foundation

A part-shade starting point with shrub structure and low foliage contrast.

Annabelle hydrangea

Coral bells

Climate-resilient · 8 plants

Climate-resilient natives for warming zones (eastern NA)

A pollinator-supporting palette of eastern NA natives whose USDA zone range and broad continental distribution score high on the climate-resilience composite. Every plant tolerates 6-7 USDA zones and is native across 15+ US states + multiple Canadian provinces. Holds up under the SSP3-7.0 mid-century projection without the gardener trading wildlife value for resilience.

Switchgrass

Little bluestem

Common milkweed

Black-eyed Susan

Wild bergamot

Sweet Joe-Pye weed

Cutleaf coneflower

New England aster

Climate-resilient · 6 plants

Mediterranean drought-tolerant edible

A low-water edible palette of culinary herbs + a hardy grape for hot dry sunny sites. Mediterranean-origin plants thrive on neglect; their primary failure mode is overwatering, not underwatering.

English lavender

Rosemary

Garden sage

Oregano

Common thyme

Fox grape

Climate-resilient · 9 plants

Native pollinator border (eastern US)

A continuous-bloom native pollinator strip for eastern North America. Covers spring through frost with host + nectar plants spanning monarchs, native bees, hummingbirds, and specialist Lepidoptera. Little bluestem provides the matrix grass + Hesperiidae host.