woodland shrub

Trailing arbutus

Epigaea repens

Also known as Mayflower, Plymouth Mayflower

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

Maine and southeastern New York to Ohio, south to Florida and Mississippi

In the garden

A woodland shrub for part to full shade and evenly moist soil. Hardy in USDA zones 2–8.

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Find your zone:

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Two-spotted Bumble Bee, Tricolored Bumble Bee +8 more
Pure Green Sweat bee, Perplexing Bumble Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Horn-faced Mason Bee, Asian Shaggy Digger Bee, Bradley's Mining Bee, Tridentate Miner, Lasioglossum tegulare
Flower flies Common Drone Fly also Greater Bee Fly
Butterflies Incisalia irioides

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Habitat: WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (25): AL, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV. Canada (6): NB, NL, NS, ON, PE, QC. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Maine and southeastern New York to Ohio, south to Florida and MississippiThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Light: Part shade to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 2–8 · Canadian 0–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Well-drained, humus-rich, acid soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to medium (sandy to loamy)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: Acid to neutralThe acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).

Spread: ~1 ft (0.3 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).