Hypericum punctatum

From its speckled new leaves to its maturing floral clusters, where sunny blossoms open beside those dusky with age, spotted St. John's wort almost seems to sparkle. The beguiling little plant is a favorite of bumblebees, who gather its pollen to feed to their developing larvae. Bumble bees are highly effective pollinators, in part because they display floral constancy in their foraging. This refers to the bees’ habit of visiting plants of the same species sequentially, which increases the chances of pollination success. Supporting healthy bumble bee populations is critical to ecosystem health, and including spotted St. John's wort in a pollinator garden is one way to help these industrious creatures. In terms of growing conditions, spotted St. John's wort does best in soils of average moisture under full sun to part shade. Within its native NE Ohio range, the plant can be found growing in a variety of habitats, including meadows, woodland edges, and open riparian areas. Attaining a mo