American wisteria and the closely related Kentucky wisteria (Wisteria macrostachya) are woody vines, with a main stem like a tree trunk, and are deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves in winter ...

This climbing fern has brittle woody stems covered in small leafy fronds. The plant can vine up to 90 feet tall into the tree canopy, choking out native plants and creating a fire hazard.

Landscaping with plants native to Illinois has taken root among local homeowners. Alexander Barrentine, of Morton Grove, spent $18,000 for ecological landscaping design.

“And we have this crazy wildlife hedge that has 70 different varieties of native woody plants, in a double row,” he said. “It’s 200 feet long, about eight feet tall.