Squirrels and mice also find the seeds tasty. Magnolia grandiflora and Magnolia denudata flowers can be used in cooking recipes according to Cooking with Flowers by Jenny Leggatt. Another use for magnolia is in aromatherapy. According to some of the manufacturers who sell these essences, the odor is particularly calming. Magnolia essence is used to help cure insomnia and also as an energy booster.
Magnolias still grow wild throughout the United States.
Oxon Run Magnolia Bog is a wonderful example of the old Eastern Seaboard environment. This is the only magnolia bog in the Washington D.C. area, and the only one in the National Park Service. The few magnolia bogs that still remain along the Atlantic Coastal Plain provide important habitats for rare plants such as the southern twayblade orchid, royal fern, bog sumac, and highbush blueberry as well as food and homes for endangered birds. It reaches a height of about 15 feet, which makes it ideal for small areas that need a small landscape tree. It has yellow flowers with cucumber shaped fruit.