Green Dyes

  • Dock (Rumex spp.) – Leaves and stems give muted greens

  • Nettles (Urtica dioica) – Leaves give a soft green when modified with iron.

Yellow Dyes

  • Onion Skins - Outer skins of yellow onions produce strong yellow to orange.

  • Birch (Betula spp.) – The bark and leaves can yield a soft yellow.

  • Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) – Leaves and bark give yellows and tans.

  • Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) – Common in late summer; flowers yield a rich yellow

Red & Pink Dyes

  • Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) – Berries give bright magenta, but it's not very colorfast.

  • Sumac berries – Can yield pinks or reds with specific mordants.

  • Madder (Rubia tinctorum)– While not native, it can be cultivated in New York; roots produce red-orange dye.

Blue Dyes

  • Woad (Isatis tinctoria) – Can be grown in New York and produces blue similar to indigo.

  • Japanese Indigo (Persicaria tinctoria) – Also cultivatable, produces a rich blue dye from its leaves.

  • Japanese Indigo (Persicaria tinctoria)

Brown & Tan Dyes

  • Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)– Hulls yield deep browns without a mordant.

  • Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

  • Oak (Quercus spp.) – Bark and galls (especially with iron mordant) give deep browns or blacks

Purple & Gray Dyes

  • Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) – Berries yield purples to grays, not always colorfast.

  • Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

  • Grape (wild or cultivated) – Skins and leaves can yield soft purples and browns