Native Plants

Tennessee Yellow Eyed Grass

Tennessee Yellow-eyed grass is not a grass at all but a small herbaceous perennial with grass-like leaves and a long stalk from which bloom yellow flowers with three petals. It is a member of the Xyridaceae (the yellow-eyed grass family) along with other species of ornamental wetland plants.

Tennessee yellow-eyed grass (Xyris tennesseensis) is known from only a handful of populations in Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama, and these populations are disappearing rapidly, primarily due to habitat loss or change. It grows in open wetlands and requires wet areas in full sun for seeds to become established and grow. The plant is protected by the federal Endangered Species act and listed endangered in Georgia and Tennessee.

The Garden is partnering with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources – Nongame Conservation Section, Department of Transportation, Georgia Power, U.S. Forest Service and Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance on a project funded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Five Star program to preserve this species, safeguard plants at the Garden and restore its habitat in northwest Georgia. The project will also preserve two other rare species in Georgia, Georgia Alder (Alnus maritima subspecies georgiensis) known from only one site in Georgia and Virginia spirea (Spiraea virginiana) known from two locations in Georgia.

Conserving the Pollinators

One of the broader impacts of conserving plants at the Garden is preserving habitats for rare animal species, including pollinators. Insects are one of the most important groups of pollinators in the Southeast. Visitors can observe a busy hive of honeybees in action in the Children’s Garden. The Garden is partnering with the Butterfly Conservation Initiative and the Greater Atlanta Pollinator Partnership to address native pollinator conservation.

Butterflies are just one group of insects in need of additional research and conservation, and late summer is an ideal time at the Garden to observe them. As visitors walk the paths they will observe a flight of vibrant color above the blooming plant displays from butterflies such as Papilionidae (Tiger Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail), Pieridae (Orange Sulphur, Cloudless Sulphur, Sleepy Orange, Cabbage White), Lycaenidae(Red-banded hairstreak), Nymphalidae (Common Buckeye, Gulf Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary), and Hesperiidae (Common Checkered Skipper, Horace’s Duskywing, Silverspotted Skipper, Clouded Skipper).