Spotted St. John’s Wort (Hypericum punctatum)

A.k.a. dotted St. John’s Wort. An adaptable plant with clusters of fairly small white flowers. Flowers attract small bees, and the caterpillars of gray hairstreaks feed on the seed pods. Easy to grow, but in the wild is often found in sandy or gravely soil where there is less competition from taller plants. An irritating chemical in the sap means it is solidly deer and rabbit resistant, but may irritate or blister skin. Light: Full Sun, Part Sun/Shade Soil Moisture: Wet Mesic, Mesic, Dry Mesic Soil Type: Sandy, Gravely Height: 2’-2.5’ Bloom Color: Yellow Bloom Time: Jul-Sep Root Type: Taproot & Rhizome Notable Wildlife Interactions: Flowers attract bees and some flies. Hosts the grey hairstreak butterfly and gray-half spot moth. Irritating chemicals in the sap means it is rarely browsed by mammals.Notes: Sap may irritate skin when exposed to sunlight (hypericin is photosensitive, which is pretty rad) and cause gastrointestinal irritation if ingested.