Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, pink flowers and flowering in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Illinois · Zones 5–7
Native Plants for Bees in Illinois
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. For Illinois, the right natives are shaped by Central Tallgrass Prairie and a humid continental climate. Every species below, from Obedient Plant and Golden Alexanders to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Illinois and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 5–7. Most of our native bees are solitary and unfussy, but they depend on a steady supply of pollen-rich, single (not double) flowers. Open daisy and umbel shapes are easiest for short-tongued bees, while tubular flowers reward the long-tongued bumblebees. Skip pesticides entirely and leave some bare, undisturbed ground and pithy stems where ground- and stem-nesting bees raise their young.
The plants
56 native species for Illinois
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, chartreuse-gold flowers and flowering from Apr to Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it — spreading 8–12 in, blooming in Mar and Apr.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies — hardy in zones 3–8, blooming from Sep to Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; good through zone 9, it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and butterflies; lavender flowers, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; reaching 2–4 ft, it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it — hardy in zones 3–8, blooming from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, magenta flowers and flowering in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies — for clay and loam ground, blooming in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees — reaching 1–2 ft, blooming from Mar to May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees, reaching 2–4 ft and flowering in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees; happy in clay and loam soil, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — good through zone 9, blooming in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies — white bracts flowers, blooming in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; mauve-pink flowers, it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — spreading 12–18 in, blooming in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees; foamy white flowers, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies, 3–4 ft tall and flowering in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — happy in clay and loam soil, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies — reaching 1–2 ft, blooming from May to Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies; hardy in zones 3–8, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; for clay and loam ground, it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
32 more also qualify: Black-Eyed Susan, Woodland Phlox, Blanketflower, Short-Toothed Mountain Mint, Prairie Blazing Star, Wild Columbine, Scarlet Beebalm, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Prairie Smoke, Cup Plant, Anise Hyssop, Maximilian Sunflower, Buttonbush, Common Yarrow, Winterberry, Red-Twig Dogwood, Spicebush, New Jersey Tea, Showy Milkweed, Common Milkweed, American Elderberry, Purple Prairie Clover, Common Boneset, Stiff Goldenrod, Creeping Phlox, Rattlesnake Master, Bearberry, Ninebark, Compass Plant, Blue Vervain, Wild Lupine, Fragrant Sumac.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Illinois
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.