Regional planting guide
Exact species from trusted regional guides, ordered to bring complementary habitat roles forward.
“North American native” is still a continental description, not proof a plant is native where you live. Confirm your ecoregion and current state or local guidance before planting.
We recommend choosing at least three species from each early, mid, and late bloom period where site size allows.
Five-role coverage
mid season
Monarda fistulosa
A broadly recommended regional species visited by bumble bees, hawk moths, and hummingbirds.
Habitat roles
mid season
Echinacea pallida
A drought-tolerant prairie species used by a wide range of pollinators.
Habitat roles
mid season
Asclepias incarnata
A monarch larval host and strong nectar resource for moist to wet sites.
Habitat roles
early season · mid season
Penstemon digitalis
Visited by bees, butterflies, and moths and adaptable to a range of soils.
Habitat roles
early season · mid season
Dalea purpurea
A nitrogen-fixing prairie plant highly attractive to bees, butterflies, flies, and beetles.
Habitat roles
mid season
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Its nectar-rich flower clusters attract a broad range of bees, butterflies, beetles, flies, and beneficial wasps.
Habitat roles
mid season · late season
Liatris pycnostachya
Supports bees, monarchs, swallowtails, skippers, and sulphur butterflies.
Habitat roles
How to use this page
Start with your region, then cover early, mid, and late bloom. A single “pollinator plant” cannot provide a season of habitat.
Match sunlight, soil moisture, mature size, and hardiness. Ecological value is most useful when the species also fits the conditions of the planting site.
Recheck current state and local guidance before buying, because plant classifications and recommendations can change over time.
Why plant choice must be narrowed to an ecoregion rather than treated as continent-wide.
The recommended next step for a ZIP-code and ecoregion-specific plant list.
Support for planning a succession of bloom from early spring through fall.
Exact Northeast species, bloom periods, and documented pollinator or host-plant roles.
Exact Southeast species, bloom periods, and documented pollinator or host-plant roles.
Exact Midwest species, bloom periods, and documented pollinator or host-plant roles.
Exact Northern Plains species, bloom periods, and documented pollinator or host-plant roles.
Guidance for combining native trees, understory plants, and leaf litter into sheltered habitat where insects can complete their life cycles.
Guidance for retaining natural nesting and overwintering features such as stems, seed heads, wood, soil, and leaf litter.
Connects fruit- and seed-bearing plants, retained flower heads, shrubs, and grasses with food, shelter, and winter structure for birds.
Ranks locally native plant genera by the butterflies and moths they host, connecting host plants to caterpillars and the birds that eat them.
For a finer geographic match, use the Pollinator Partnership Find Your Roots tool.
Save exact species, check mature size and hardiness, then place them in a design you can keep refining.
