Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — spreading 3–6 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Virginia · Zones 6–8
Native Plants for Birds in Virginia
Seed, berry, and cover plants that feed songbirds year-round — and the caterpillars that nesting birds actually raise their chicks on. Virginia sits in a landscape of Blue Ridge, Piedmont & Tidewater, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its humid, four-season character. The list below — led by Trumpet Honeysuckle and Buttonbush — is filtered to species genuinely native to Virginia and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic and hardy through zones 6–8. 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
29 native species for Virginia
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
A winter seed source birds return to, for clay and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
A winter seed source songbirds return to, 4–7 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
A winter seed source birds return to, 1.5–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Bird food twice over — seed heads songbirds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A winter seed source birds return to, hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A winter seed source songbirds return to, 15–25 ft wide.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Feeds songbirds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A winter seed source birds return to, golden yellow flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, for clay and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; reaching 2–3 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; 5–10 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Feeds birds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Bird food twice over — seed heads birds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; for clay and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Bird food twice over — seed heads songbirds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- 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, spreading 1.5–2.5 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
A winter seed source songbirds return to, 6–10 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
A winter seed source songbirds return to, happy in clay and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; good through zone 9.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — 6–12 in tall.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 6–12 in
- Foliage
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Feeds songbirds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
5 more also qualify: Cinnamon Fern, Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, Big Bluestem, Indian Grass.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Virginia
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.