The most common hackberry species in North America is the Common Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), which is native to much of the continental United States. A highly adaptable tree, the Common Hackberry grows in most types of soil and tolerates both sun and shade.

Other native hackberry species include:

• Spiny hackberry (Celtis ehrenbergiana)
• Iguana hackberry (Celtis iguanaea)
• Sugarberry (Celtis laevigata)
• Dwarf hackberry (Celtis tenuifolia)

Hackberries are somewhat weak and susceptible to wind and ice damage, and their berries are considered messy by some. They also have shallow surface roots that can interfere with lawn mowers. For these reasons, they are best suited to rural areas or naturalistic plantings where a little sloppiness is acceptable.

Because there are so many viburnum species, it is possible to find one to suit almost any garden. Different species range from 2 to 30 feet tall. There is a viburnum for every level of sun, from full sun to deep shade, and every level of moisture, from dry to wet. Some species are evergreen, some deciduous.

Though several of the most popular ornamental viburnums, including the fragrant Korean Spicebush Viburnum (V. carlesii) and the spectacular Doublefile Viburnum (V. plicatum tomentosum), are natives of Eurasia, there are many native species to choose from. Some of the most popular include the Arrowwood Viburnum (V. dentatum), a large and  extremely versatile shrub that is a larval host plant for several butterfly and moth species and produces deep blue berries popular with birds, Mapleleaf Viburnum (V. acerifolium), a handsome shrub that does well in dry shade, and the outstanding American Cranberrybush Viburnum, or Highbush Cranberry,  (V. trilobum), a moisture loving species with showy and edible berries and prolific white blooms. The American cranberrybush is also known as V. opulus var. americanum, to distinguish it from the European Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. opulus var. opulus).

Other excellent native viburnums include:

• Squashberry (Viburnum edule)
• Hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides)
• Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)
• Possumhaw (Viburnum nudum)
• Small-leaf Arrowood (Viburnum obovatum)
• Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium)
• Downy Arrowwood (Viburnum rafinesquianum)
• Southern Arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum)
• Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum)

Oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate) is produced in the leaves and twigs and in the past was often distilled from the twigs of the American Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens).  Today the compound is more commonly synthesized.

The berries of the wintergreen family are edible, but most are too insipid for human tastes. The most commonly eaten wintergreen family berries are those of the salal (Gaultheria shallon), which is native to the Pacific Northwest and was a staple food of the native tribes. Today it is eaten fresh or used to make jams, jellies, and other products. Many native tribes also used shrubs from the Wintergreen family medicinally.

However, the berries and leaves are popular food sources for many wildlife species. Many speces have berries that persist into winter, providing an important winter food source. Wildlife attracted by wintergreen species include whitetail deer, wild turkey, grouse, pheasant, gray squirrel, and black bear.

Most species are extremely cold hardy and adapt to a range of conditions, though they prefer shade or partial shade.

Native wintergreen species include:

• Creeping snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula)
• Alpine Wintergreen (Gaultheria humifusa)
• Western teaberry (Gaultheria ovatifolia)
• American Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
• Salal (Gaultheria shallon)

Today, mountain ashes are considered to be excellent small or moderate sized ornamental trees due to their attractive form, prolific white flowers, and bright orange berries.They are not true ash trees, but are more closely related to the rose family.

The berries are edible, but generally too acidic for human consumption. However, they are sometimes used to make wines and are popular food sources for many bird and mammal species, including songbirds such as thrushes, waxwings, and jays, game birds such as grouse, wild turkey, and ptarmigans, and squirrels. Mountain ashes are also favored forage species for moose, elk, whitetail deer.

Native American mountain ash species include:

• American mountain ash (Sorbus americana)
• California mountain ash (Sorbus californica)
• Northern mountain ash (Sorbus decora)
• Arizona mountain ash (Sorbus dumosa)
• Greene’s mountain ash (Sorbus scopulina)
• Western mountain ash (Sorbus sitchensis)

Mountain ashes tend to prefer cool, moist sites and full sunlight.

Crabapples with smaller fruit attract the widest variety of wildlife, including many species of songbirds, game birds, deer, squirrels, and many other species. Some species have fruit that persists well into winter, providing an important food source for birds and other overwintering wildlife.

Be careful not to buy a barren cultivar, as some modern cultivars have been bred to produce no fruit.

Native crabapple species include Southern crabapple (Malus angustifolia), Sweet crabapple (Malus coronaria), Oregon crabapple (Malus fusca), Prairie crabapple (Malus ioensis), and their hybrids and cultivars.

A number of non-native crabapple species and cultivars also do well in North America, including the classic domestic apple, which is a popular treat for many wildlife species, including deer.

Traditionally, families would set sheets on the ground around the foot of a mulberry tree and shake it until the ripe berries fell and could be collected to make pies, jams, jellies, juices, and many other foods. They are also delicious fresh.

Mulberries are also hugely popular with songbirds, game birds, and many other species of wildlife. Farmers used to plant them near orchards and berry patches in an attempt to distract the local wildlife long enough to harvest the more valuable fruits and berries. Mulberries are also extremely popular with some livestock, especially pigs and poultry. In Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture, J. Russell Smith describes farmers who uses everbearing mulberries as the primary or even exclusive source of food for hogs in summer.

By far the most common native mulberry in the United States is the Red Mulberry (Morus rubra), which is native to most of the eastern United States and Ontario. The Texas Mulberry (Morus microphylla) is native to Texas and the Southwest. Two Asian mulberries, the White Mulberry (Morus alba), originally imported in an unsuccessful attempt to start a North American silk industry and now considered invasive in many states, and the Black Mulberry (Morus nigra), are also commonly grown in the United States.

Mulberries spread prolifically thanks to wildlife spreading the seeds, so should ideally be planted in areas where they can run a little wild without interfering with planned landscaping, yours or anyone else’s. They prefer moist soils, but are tolerant of a range of conditions.

Dogwoods start the year with an explosion of beautiful blossoms in spring, and spend the summer as attractive small trees or shrubs. In fall, they put on a beautiful display of autumn color and bright red berries, which linger into winter. Winter also highlights the beautiful red bark of native dogwood species such as the Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea).

In addition to its ornamental qualities, dogwood is also an excellent wildlife tree. Dozens of species of birds, including wild turkey, quail, and many songbirds, enjoy the berries, as do mammals such as whitetail deer and squirrels.

The most popular species for home landscaping include the classic Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii), Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia), and the Red Osier Dogwood. The best dogwoods for wildlife include the less showy Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum) and Roughleaf Dogwood (Cornus drummondii).

Other native dogwoods include:

• Toughleaf dogwood (Cornus asperifolia)
• Bunchberry dogwood (Cornus canadensis)
• Stiff dogwood (Cornus foemina)
• Brown dogwood (Cornus glabrata)
• Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa)
• Roundleaf dogwood (Cornus rugosa)
• Blackfruit dogwood (Cornus sessilis)
• Western cordilleran bunchberry (Cornus unalaschkensis)

The Flowering Dogwood and Pacific Dogwood are being ravaged by Dogwood anthracnose, a Eurasian fungus, in many states. Efforts are underway to breed blight-resistant native cultivars. Homeowners can fight it by pruning dead branches and twigs, improving air circulation and soil drainage around dogwood trees, and planting new trees in sunny spots with good air circulation.

There are several Eurasian dogwood species that seem to be resistant to the blight and share some of the wildlife benefits of native dogwoods. These include Japanese Dogwood (Cornus kousa) and Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas), which is used to make sauces, preserves, and other foods for humans in Europe.

The blueberry family includes blueberries, huckleberries, bilberries, and cranberries, as well as a few other species such as dewberry, whortleberry, lingonberry, farkleberry, deerberry, and ohelo.

Blueberries and their relatives are treasured for their delicious and nutritious fruits, which are considered delicacies by humans and wildlife alike.

Many blueberry species also make attractive and easy to grow ornamental shrubs, though a few species, especially the cranberries, have very specific growing requirements that may be difficult for the average landowner to duplicate. The most commonly cultivated species is the Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum).

The most important native blueberry species include:

• Lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
• Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
• Cascade huckleberry (Vaccinium deliciosum)
• Ohelo (Vaccinium dentatum)
• Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)
• Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)

The blackberry family is treasured for its delicious and nutritious berries. They grow vigorously both in the wild and in cultivation and are eaten fresh or made into dozens of different foods and drinks.

Blackberry species are also major food sources for many species of wildlife, and the dense, thorny thickets they develop in the wild provide shelter for many birds and small mammals.

Avoid the non-native Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor), which is invasive in many states and out-competes native blackberries and most other native vegetation. Himalayan blackberries are extremely difficult to get rid of; options include cutting them back and digging out as much of the roots as possible, cutting them back and using spot applications of herbicides, and grazing the area with goats, which seem to relish blackberries.

Elderberries are also an important summer food source for many wildlife species, including deer, squirrels, and many species of game and song birds. In California, elderberries are a vital species for the endangered Valley elderberry longhorn beetle.

In addition to their delicious berries, Elders have lovely white blossoms (also edible) in spring. Though somewhat too gangly and prone to suckering for a formal landscape, elderberries make attractive additions to naturalistic landscapes, hedgerows, and similar plantings.

There are two main elderberry species native to North America:

• American elder (Sambucus canadensis)
• Red elder (Sambucus racemosa)

Sambucus canadensis is sometimes listed as  subspecies of the Common Elder or Black Elder (Sambucus nigra), a native of Eurasia. To add to the taxonomic confusion, there are several other native elderberry species listed sometimes as separate species, sometimes as subspecies of Sambucus nigra and sometimes as subspecies of Sambucus canadensis. These include Blue Elder (Sambucus cerulea), Florida Elder (Sambucus simpsonii), Mexican Elder (Sambucus mexicana), and more.