Stories
October 31, 2025Our Tree Team’s Fave Spooky Native Plants
The only thing scarier than seeing a vacant lot is spotting a spooky plant ... and our Land Forestry team dared to share their favorites.
From “Doll’s Eyes” to “Devil’s Walking Stick,” scroll to learn a fun fact about each one (if you dare).
Catharine
Witch Hazel - Fun Fact: Witch hazel can "ballistically eject" its seeds with force, meaning they explode their seeds out of their pods to disperse them. One of the few plants that bloom in the late fall to early winter.
Collin
Black Walnut - Every haunted house needs a black walnut. Fun fact: Black Walnuts are allelopathic, meaning they release a chemical that kills susceptible plants around it - eliminating competition
Micaela
Devil's Walking Stick - Aralia spinosa - OUCH!
Skunk Cabbage - Symplocarpus foetidus- Fun Fact: Skunk cabbage are thermogenic meaning they can create their own heat up to 15-35 degrees warmer than the air!
Jenny
Doll's Eyes - Actaea pachypoda - Fun Fact: Poisonous to humans but great for birds!
Ghost pipe - Monotropa uniflora - Fun Fact: Ghost pipe is a perennial that does not produce chlorophyll and gets it's nutrients by being a parasite on fungus
Laura
Wild Ginger - Asarum canadense - These are straight up demogorgons. Fun fact: These act as a hiding space for early spring pollinators against cold wind!