Top plants for your pollinator garden
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Ready to plant a pollinator garden? We at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wanted to recommend some plants to get you started! No matter where you're located, use this list to get started with pollinator plants native to your area. Be sure to include varieties that bloom from early spring through late fall to support pollinators throughout the year. Whether you have a few feet on your apartment balcony, a yard in need of landscaping or several acres, these are great plants to help you get started.
Keep in mind that this is a general guide - not every plant will grow well in the variety of conditions throughout each entire region. For best results, ensure your growing conditions are appropriate for the needs of each plant you select. Search for native plant nurseries in your area for specific local recommendations.
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Pacific Region
Native plant recommendations for Idaho, Oregon and Washington
Spring blooming
- Wax current (Ribes cereum)
- Oregon grape (Berberis aquifolium)
- Redflower currant (Ribes sanguineum)
- Threadleaf phacelia (Phacelia linearis)
- Common camas (Camassia quamash)
- Western columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
Summer blooming
- Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)
- Narrowleaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis)
- Common woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum)
- Sulphur buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum)
- Mountain monardella (Monardella odoratissima)
- Scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata)
Fall blooming
- Western coneflower (Rudbeckia occidentalis)
- Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa)
- West Coast goldenrod (Solidago elongata)
- Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
- Douglas aster (Symphyotrichum subspicatum)
- Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)
Native plant recommendations for Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands coming soon.
Southwest Region
Native plant recommendations for Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas
Spring blooming
- Engelmann's daisy (Engelmannia pinnatifida)
- Cobaea beardtongue (Penstemon cobaea)
- Antelopehorn milkweed (Asclepias asperula)
- Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
- Greeneyes (Berlandiera lyrata)
- Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Summer blooming
- Texas lantana (Lantana urticoides)
- Black prairie clover (Dalea frutescens)
- Beardlip penstemon (Penstemon barbatus)
- Horsetail milkweed (Asclepias subverticillata)
- Owl’s claw (Hymenoxys hoopesii)
- Desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata)
Fall blooming
- Plains blackfoot (Melampodium leucanthum)
- Berlandier's wolfberry (Lycium berlandieri)
- Scarlet globemallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea)
- Bailey's rabbitbrush (Lorandersonia baileyi)
- Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
- Desert rosemallow (Hibiscus coulteri)
Midwest Region
Native plant recommendations for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin
Spring blooming
- Red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
- Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)
- Blue wild indigo (Baptisia australis)
- Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)
- Large-flowered beardtongue (Penstemon grandiflorus)
- Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)
Summer blooming
- Rough blazing star (Liatris aspera)
- Prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya)
- Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
- Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
- Yellow coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
- Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Fall blooming
- Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
- Common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
- Stiff goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum)
- Showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
- New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
- Smooth blue aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)
Southeast Region
Native plant recommendations for Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee
Spring blooming
- Eastern smooth beardtongue (Penstemon laevigatus)
- Green and gold (Chrysogonum virginianum)
- Lanceleaf tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata)
- Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
- Eastern bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana)
- Narrowleaf evening primrose (Oenothera fruticosa)
Summer blooming
- Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
- Dense blazing star (Liatris spicata)
- Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
- Orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida)
- Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
- Trumpetweed (Eutrochium fistulosum)
Fall blooming
- Swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius)
- Lateflowering thoroughwort (Eupatorium serotinum)
- Anise-scented goldenrod (Solidago odora)
- Smooth blue aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)
- Blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum)
- Giant ironweed (Vernonia gigantea)
Native plant recommendations for Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands coming soon.
Northeast Region
Native plant recommendations for Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia
Spring blooming
- Red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
- Squirrel corn (Dicentra canadensis)
- Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)
- Wild lupine (Lupinus perennis)
- Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
- Golden ragwort (Packera aurea)
Summer blooming
- Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
- Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
- Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
- Woodland sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)
- Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium fistulosum)
- Narrowleaf mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium)
Fall blooming
- White wood aster (Eurybia divaricata)
- Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
- Gray goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis)
- Wrinkleleaf goldenrod (Solidago rugosa)
- New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
- White turtlehead (Chelone glabra)
Mountain-Prairie Region
Native plant recommendations for Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming
Spring blooming
- Large-flowered beardtongue (Penstemon grandiflorus)
- White penstemon (Penstemon albidus)
- Upright prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera)
- Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)
- Mountain bluebells (Mertensia ciliata)
- Richardson's geranium (Geranium richardsonii)
Summer blooming
- Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)
- Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
- Blue vervain (Verbena hastata)
- Purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea)
- Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
- Narrow-leaved coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia)
Fall blooming
- Stiff-leaved goldenrod (Solidago rigida)
- White health aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides)
- Stiff sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus)
- Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani)
- Dotted blazing star (Liatris punctata)
- Common blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata)
Alaska
Native plant recommendations for Alaska
Spring blooming
- Beachhead iris (Iris setosa)
- American milkvetch (Astragalus americanus)
- Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
- Northern yellow locoweed (Oxytropis campestris)
- Woolly geranium (Geranium erianthum)
- Broadleaf arnica (Arnica latifolia)
Summer blooming
- Shootingstar (Primula pauciflora)
- Tall Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium acutiflorum)
- American pasqueflower (Pulsatilla patens)
- Alpine sweetvetch (Hedysarum alpinum)
- Western columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
- Tall bluebells (Mertensia paniculata)
Fall blooming
- Arctic goldenrod (Solidago multiradiata)
- Siberian aster (Eurybia sibirica)
- Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
- Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium)
- Wild chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
- Mountain larkspur (Delphinium glaucum)
Pacific Southwest Region
Native plant recommendations for California, Nevada and the Klamath Basin in southern Oregon
Spring blooming
- Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata)
- California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
- Western columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
- Showy phlox (Phlox speciosa)
- Common camas (Camassia quamash)
- Sticky geranium (Geranium viscosissimum)
- Hookedspur violet (Viola adunca)
Summer blooming
- Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)
- Narrowleaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis)
- Common woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum)
- Scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata)
- Green gentian (Frasera speciosa)
- Mountain bluebells (Mertensia ciliata)
Fall blooming
- Pacific aster (Symphyotrichum chilense)
- Western coneflower (Rudbeckia occidentalis)
- Telegraphweed (Heterotheca grandiflora)
- Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)
- West Coast goldenrod (Solidago elongata)
- Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa)
