Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
A winter seed source birds return to, spreading 2–3 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Kentucky · Zones 6–7
Native Plants for Birds in Kentucky
Seed, berry, and cover plants that feed songbirds year-round — and the caterpillars that nesting birds actually raise their chicks on. For Kentucky, the right natives are shaped by Bluegrass, Cumberland Plateau & Pennyroyal and a humid, four-season climate. Every species below, from Pink Muhly Grass and Black-Eyed Susan to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Kentucky and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 6–7. Feeders are a snack; native plants are the real grocery store. Berries and seed heads carry birds through fall and winter, while the caterpillars these natives host are what nearly all songbirds feed their young in spring. Leave the seed heads standing, hold off on fall cleanup, and let a layer of leaves and shrubs give birds the cover they need.
The plants
33 native species for Kentucky
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–7 · see this collection in other states.
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; golden yellow flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Bird food twice over — seed heads songbirds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A winter seed source birds return to, for clay, rocky, and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Bird food twice over — seed heads birds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A winter seed source songbirds return to, for loam ground.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; happy in sand, clay, and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, hardy in zones 5–9.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Bird food twice over — seed heads songbirds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, cold-hardy to zone 6.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
A winter seed source songbirds return to, happy in clay and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
A winter seed source birds return to, good through zone 8.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; hardy in zones 2–6.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — 5–10 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Bird food twice over — seed heads birds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; good through zone 7.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
A winter seed source songbirds return to, happy in clay and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Feeds songbirds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
A winter seed source birds return to, reaching 5–10 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, good through zone 9.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
9 more also qualify: Compass Plant, Spicebush, Pennsylvania Sedge, Big Bluestem, Switchgrass, Cinnamon Fern, Prairie Dropseed, Little Bluestem, Indian Grass.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Kentucky
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.