Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it blooms Apr through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–Aug
Louisiana · Zones 8–9
Native Pollinator Plants in Louisiana
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. For Louisiana, the right natives are shaped by Mississippi Delta & Gulf Coast Prairie and a hot, humid subtropical climate. Every species below, from Wild Bleeding Heart and Butterfly Weed to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Louisiana and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 8–9. A garden that feeds pollinators all season needs something in bloom from the first warm days of spring through the last of fall. Aim for at least three species flowering at any given time, plant in generous drifts of one kind rather than singletons so foragers can work efficiently, and leave seed heads and hollow stems standing over winter to shelter the next generation.
The plants
56 native species for Louisiana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 8–9 · see this collection in other states.
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, native bees, and songbirds while it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators and native bees while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms May through Oct.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees while it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it blooms Mar through May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators and native bees as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms May through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
32 more also qualify: Culver's Root, Cup Plant, Cardinal Flower, Wild Bergamot, Great Blue Lobelia, Flowering Dogwood, Winterberry, Foxglove Beardtongue, Prairie Blazing Star, Swamp Milkweed, Buttonbush, Eastern Redbud, Wild Columbine, Woodland Phlox, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Maximilian Sunflower, Aromatic Aster, Common Boneset, Compass Plant, Rattlesnake Master, Spicebush, Common Milkweed, Fragrant Sumac, Stiff Goldenrod, Purple Prairie Clover, Inkberry Holly, Wild Lupine, Blue Vervain, Creeping Phlox, New Jersey Tea, American Elderberry.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Louisiana
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.