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
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- For birds
West Virginia · Zones 5–7
Native Plants for Birds in West Virginia
Seed, berry, and cover plants that feed songbirds year-round — and the caterpillars that nesting birds actually raise their chicks on. Every species here is genuinely native to West Virginia and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic and hardy through zones 5–7 — proven performers for West Virginia's cool, humid, mountainous climate across Allegheny Mountains & Ridge-and-Valley, not a generic list. Local standouts include Serviceberry and Maximilian Sunflower. 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
33 native species for West Virginia
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; 5–8 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; 1.5–2 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A winter seed source birds return to, 1.5–2 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, 1.5–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; white pincushions flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; 4–7 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A winter seed source birds return to, for sand, clay, and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Bird food twice over — seed heads songbirds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Bird food twice over — seed heads birds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; 5–8 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; 2–3 ft wide.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A winter seed source songbirds return to, for loam ground.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; for clay and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Seed for songbirds and caterpillars for their nestlings — good through zone 9.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, reaching 5–10 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; reaching 6–12 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
A winter seed source birds return to, 4–8 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — chartreuse-gold flowers.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, cold-hardy to zone 2.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
A winter seed source birds return to, spreading 1.5–2.5 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Feeds birds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Compass Plant
Silphium laciniatum
A winter seed source songbirds return to, happy in clay and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
9 more also qualify: Sideoats Grama, Stiff Goldenrod, Cinnamon Fern, Indian Grass, Switchgrass, Pennsylvania Sedge, Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed.
Sourcing
Where to find these in West 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.