Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, happy in loam soil.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Minnesota · Zones 3–5
Native Plants for Birds in Minnesota
Seed, berry, and cover plants that feed songbirds year-round — and the caterpillars that nesting birds actually raise their chicks on. Minnesota sits in a landscape of Northern tallgrass prairie & North Woods, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cold continental character. The list below — led by Flowering Dogwood and Lanceleaf Coreopsis — is filtered to species genuinely native to Minnesota and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 3–5. 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
31 native species for Minnesota
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
A winter seed source birds return to, for sand, rocky, and loam ground.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
A winter seed source songbirds return to, reaching 5–10 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, good through zone 9.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; for sand, rocky, and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
A winter seed source songbirds return to, yellow flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
A winter seed source songbirds return to, spreading 2–4 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
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
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, happy in sand, clay, and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
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
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Seed for songbirds and caterpillars for their nestlings — spreading 10–20 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; good through zone 7.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Compass Plant
Silphium laciniatum
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; spreading 3–6 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
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
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
Bird food twice over — seed heads birds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 8–20 in
- Blooms Jun–Aug
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
A winter seed source songbirds return to, 6–12 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Feeds birds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — hardy in zones 4–9.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
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
7 more also qualify: Indian Grass, Big Bluestem, Switchgrass, Prairie Dropseed, Cinnamon Fern, Little Bluestem, Pennsylvania Sedge.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Minnesota
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.