Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Virginia · Zones 6–8
Native Pollinator Plants in Virginia
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. 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 Butterfly Weed — is filtered to species genuinely native to Virginia and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic 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 Virginia
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Works hard for pollinators — 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
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, native bees, and songbirds right through when it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as 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 as 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 as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it blooms Apr through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–Aug
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Keeps pollinators fed — 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
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Keeps pollinators fed — 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
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Works hard for pollinators — 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
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
A reliable nectar stop — 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
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms May through Oct.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators and native bees right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
A pollinator magnet — 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
31 more also qualify: Smooth Hydrangea, Golden Alexanders, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Flowering Dogwood, Aromatic Aster, Common Yarrow, Cup Plant, Arrowwood Viburnum, Foxglove Beardtongue, Virginia Bluebells, Black-Eyed Susan, Swamp Milkweed, Winterberry, Prairie Blazing Star, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Obedient Plant, Wild Lupine, Ninebark, Common Boneset, Rattlesnake Master, Creeping Phlox, Wild Ginger, Spicebush, Fragrant Sumac, Blue Vervain, Common Milkweed, Stiff Goldenrod, Red-Twig Dogwood, American Elderberry, Inkberry Holly, New Jersey Tea.
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.