Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
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- Pollinators
North Carolina · Zones 6–8
Native Pollinator Plants in North Carolina
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. For North Carolina, the right natives are shaped by Blue Ridge, Piedmont & Coastal Plain and a humid subtropical to montane climate. Every species below, from Common Yarrow and Aromatic Aster to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to North Carolina and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 6–8. 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
55 native species for North Carolina
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Works hard for pollinators — 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
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Nectar and pollen for the garden — 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
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators and native bees as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when 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 right through when it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, native bees, and songbirds while it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it blooms Apr through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–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
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms May through Oct.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
31 more also qualify: Eastern Redbud, Cardinal Flower, Short-Toothed Mountain Mint, Foamflower, Woodland Phlox, Purple Coneflower, Swamp Milkweed, American Beautyberry, Great Blue Lobelia, Buttonbush, Butterfly Weed, Black-Eyed Susan, Scarlet Beebalm, Golden Alexanders, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Showy Goldenrod, Stiff Goldenrod, Creeping Phlox, Wild Ginger, Ninebark, Common Boneset, American Elderberry, Fragrant Sumac, Common Milkweed, Inkberry Holly, Spicebush, Blue Vervain, Red-Twig Dogwood, New Jersey Tea, Wild Lupine, Rattlesnake Master.
Sourcing
Where to find these in North Carolina
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.