Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Texas · Zones 6–9
Native Pollinator Plants in Texas
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. Texas sits in a landscape of Hill Country, Blackland Prairie & Gulf Coast, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its hot, dry west to humid east character. The list below — led by Crossvine and Prairie Blazing Star — is filtered to species genuinely native to Texas and the wider flora of the South-Central region and hardy through zones 6–9. 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
72 native species for Texas
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–9 · see this collection in other states.
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 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
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees as it blooms Mar through May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
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
Gregg's Mistflower
Conoclinium greggii
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms May through Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms May through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, native bees, and seed-eating birds while it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators and native bees as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
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
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees while it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
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
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it blooms May through Oct.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Keeps pollinators fed — 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
48 more also qualify: Autumn Sage, Common Yarrow, Firecracker Penstemon, Dense Blazing Star, Buttonbush, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Smooth Hydrangea, Trumpet Honeysuckle, Maximilian Sunflower, Black-Eyed Susan, Showy Goldenrod, Flowering Dogwood, Anise Hyssop, New England Aster, Eastern Redbud, Swamp Milkweed, Blanketflower, Rocky Mountain Penstemon, Arrowwood Viburnum, Flame Acanthus, Cardinal Flower, Cup Plant, Pasque Flower, Wild Bergamot, Winterberry, Desert Marigold, Great Blue Lobelia, Desert Willow, Oakleaf Hydrangea, American Beautyberry, Common Milkweed, Rattlesnake Master, Showy Milkweed, Wild Lupine, Common Boneset, Fragrant Sumac, Wild Ginger, Compass Plant, New Jersey Tea, Stiff Goldenrod, Inkberry Holly, Spicebush, Red-Twig Dogwood, American Elderberry, Blue Vervain, Ninebark, Purple Prairie Clover, Creeping Phlox.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Texas
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.