Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when it blooms Apr through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–Aug
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- Pollinators
Pennsylvania · Zones 5–7
Native Pollinator Plants in Pennsylvania
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. Every species here is genuinely native to Pennsylvania and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic and hardy through zones 5–7 — proven performers for Pennsylvania's humid continental climate across Appalachian ridge-and-valley & Piedmont, not a generic list. Local standouts include Wild Bleeding Heart and Wild Geranium. 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
61 native species for Pennsylvania
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Works hard for pollinators — 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
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Keeps pollinators fed — 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
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when it blooms Mar through May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
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
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Works hard for pollinators — 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
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
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
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators and native bees right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, native bees, and songbirds right through when it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
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
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
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
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
37 more also qualify: Flowering Dogwood, Butterfly Weed, Culver's Root, Trumpet Honeysuckle, Obedient Plant, Cup Plant, Pasque Flower, Foxglove Beardtongue, Golden Alexanders, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Cardinal Flower, Wild Columbine, Black-Eyed Susan, Smooth Hydrangea, Prairie Smoke, Great Blue Lobelia, American Beautyberry, Common Yarrow, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Ninebark, Stiff Goldenrod, Creeping Phlox, New Jersey Tea, American Elderberry, Blue Vervain, Purple Prairie Clover, Compass Plant, Inkberry Holly, Wild Lupine, Red-Twig Dogwood, Bearberry, Wild Ginger, Spicebush, Common Boneset, Fragrant Sumac, Rattlesnake Master, Common Milkweed.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Pennsylvania
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.