When you choose native plants for your garden, you create a natural habitat that supports the local wildlife around you. These plants are well-adapted to your environment and provide essential food and shelter for pollinators, birds, and other animals.
By planting the right species, you can make a positive difference for the wildlife in your area.
Swamp Milkweed
When you plant swamp milkweed, you invite monarch caterpillars to your garden. This native perennial also attracts other pollinators, helping to support local wildlife.
Swamp milkweed thrives in moist soils and adds a splash of color with its pink flowers.
Oak Trees
You’ll find oak trees are incredible for supporting local wildlife. They provide habitat and food for over 500 species, including birds and insects.
Planting native oaks like shingle, blackjack, or swamp chestnut oak can add beauty and help wildlife thrive. These trees also grow to medium heights, making them great for many garden sizes.
Serviceberry
You’ll appreciate serviceberry for its early spring blooms, which provide important food for pollinators. It’s a native plant that lasts 30 to 40 years, giving your garden long-term value.
Birds and small mammals love the berries, making serviceberry a natural way to support local wildlife.
Nodding Onion
You’ll find nodding onion has grass-like leaves with a mild onion scent. In summer, it produces nodding clusters of bell-shaped flowers that attract pollinators.
This plant fits well in rock gardens or natural landscapes. It’s easy to grow and helps provide food and habitat for local wildlife.
Wild Geranium
You can add wild geranium to your shaded garden for early-season beauty and wildlife support. It thrives in woodland areas and tolerates deer and rabbit browsing.
Your local birds enjoy its seeds, making it a great choice to attract wildlife while adding charm to shady spots.
Bee Balm
Bee Balm is a great choice for your garden if you want to attract pollinators. It produces clusters of colorful flowers that hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees love.
This plant thrives in moist to wet soil and blooms from mid-summer to early fall. Its aromatic leaves add a nice touch to your garden’s sensory experience.
Anise Hyssop
You’ll find that Anise Hyssop grows upright with lovely purple flowers in mid to late summer. It has a distinct anise or licorice scent that makes your garden smell nice.
This native plant attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, helping support local pollinators. It’s easy to grow and adds color and texture to your outdoor space.
Eastern Redbud
You’ll find Eastern Redbud trees brighten your garden with their pink spring blooms. They attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, helping support your local ecosystem.
Their seeds provide food for birds and small mammals. They are a host for butterfly and moth larvae, making your yard a small wildlife haven.
Black-eyed Susan
You’ll enjoy adding Black-eyed Susan to your garden for its bright yellow petals and dark centers. This native plant supports pollinators like bees and butterflies, helping your local ecosystem.
It’s also a durable perennial that provides color season after season.
Purple Coneflower
You’ll find Purple Coneflower a great addition to your garden. It attracts butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds with its bright nectar.
The seeds also provide food for local birds. You can plant it in borders, meadows, or naturalized areas for the best effect.
It prefers dry to moist soil and blooms from spring through early fall.
American Holly
You’ll notice American Holly’s dark green, shiny leaves with sharp spines. It blooms small greenish-white flowers from spring to early summer.
This evergreen shrub offers great shelter for birds and small mammals, especially during winter. Its bright red berries also provide food for many local wildlife species.
Buttonbush
You’ll find buttonbush thrives in wet soils, making it a great choice for rain gardens or near ponds. It attracts butterflies, native bees, and waterfowl, so your garden will support a variety of wildlife.
Its flowers provide nectar, and it also offers shelter for amphibians and larvae. Buttonbush helps stabilize soil and can improve water quality in wet areas.
Sweetbay Magnolia
Sweetbay Magnolia is a native tree that fits well in moist to wet areas. You’ll find its smooth, gray stems and fragrant blooms inviting bees and other pollinators.
This tree also provides food and shelter for birds and insects.
Blueberry Bush
You can add native blueberry bushes to your garden to support local wildlife. These shrubs provide food for birds and pollinators throughout the seasons.
Both highbush and lowbush varieties offer berries that attract various bird species. They add beauty and life to your outdoor space.
Virginia Bluebell
Virginia Bluebell is a lovely native wildflower that thrives in moist, shady areas like woodlands and river floodplains. You’ll find it blooming in early spring with soft blue flowers that attract pollinators like bees and butterflies.
This plant spreads gently through underground roots, making it easy to grow without worrying about invasiveness.
Red Maple
You’ll find red maples across much of the eastern United States, from Maine to Florida and west to Texas. They are great for your garden if you want to support local wildlife.
This tree provides food and shelter to many birds and pollinators. In early spring, its flowers offer valuable nectar and pollen.
Sugar Maple
When you plant a sugar maple, you’re adding a tall, sturdy tree that grows well in many regions. Its leaves provide food for wildlife, and the tree offers shelter throughout the year.
You’ll notice its smooth bark when young, which becomes rougher as it matures. Sugar maples also support pollinators with their flowers.
Eastern Red Cedar
You’ll find Eastern Red Cedar is a great choice for supporting local wildlife. Its blue-green, berry-like fruits provide food for many bird species, including the cedar waxwing.
This slow-growing tree can reach up to 65 feet tall. It offers shelter and nesting spots for wildlife.