The sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) is a native slender, flowering, deciduous (in Connecticut),10 to 20 foot native shrub or tree that is easy to grow. It has 4–6 inch long, 1–3 inch wide leaves and in late spring it produces 2–3 inch wide fragrant flowers with creamy white blooms that have 9 to 12 petals. The flowers are pollinated by beetles, and open in the morning and close during the night on a 2-day flowering cycle. After flowering, cone-like fruits contain bright red seeds.

Magnolia seed ripens in mid-Autumn and is eaten and spread by songbirds, Wild Turkey, and mammals such as gray squirrels and white-footed mice. Seeds are high in fat and are a good energy source for migratory birds. They are eaten by Eastern Kingbirds,