Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, lavender-blue flowers and flowering from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wyoming · Zones 3–5
Native Plants for Bees in Wyoming
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. Every species here is genuinely native to Wyoming and the wider flora of the Mountain West and hardy through zones 3–5 — proven performers for Wyoming's cold, semi-arid, high elevation climate across Rocky Mountain montane & sagebrush steppe, not a generic list. Local standouts include Anise Hyssop and Aromatic Aster. Most of our native bees are solitary and unfussy, but they depend on a steady supply of pollen-rich, single (not double) flowers. Open daisy and umbel shapes are easiest for short-tongued bees, while tubular flowers reward the long-tongued bumblebees. Skip pesticides entirely and leave some bare, undisturbed ground and pithy stems where ground- and stem-nesting bees raise their young.
The plants
48 native species for Wyoming
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies — 2–3 ft wide, blooming from Sep to Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Western Columbine
Aquilegia formosa
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and hummingbirds; spreading 12–18 in, it blooms Apr through Jul.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jul
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it — spreading 8–12 in, blooming in Mar and Apr.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies; happy in sand, clay, and loam soil, it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Firecracker Penstemon
Penstemon eatonii
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and hummingbirds, for sand and rocky ground and flowering from Mar to May.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies — yellow, maroon center flowers, blooming from May to Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies; happy in sand, clay, and loam soil, it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — spreading 1.5–2 ft, blooming in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
One the bees find first — feeds native bees — white roses, pink plumes flowers, blooming from Apr to Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — reaching 4–7 ft, blooming from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; rose-magenta flowers, it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies, white spring lace flowers and flowering in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — pink flowers, blooming in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, 2–3 ft wide and flowering in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and butterflies, reaching 2–4 ft and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies — reaching 2–4 ft, blooming from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; spreading 1.5–2 ft, it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies, for sand, rocky, and loam ground and flowering from Jun to Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, royal purple flowers and flowering in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; 12–18 in wide, it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; cold-hardy to zone 3, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — purple-magenta flowers, blooming in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, for sand, rocky, and loam ground and flowering from May to Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
24 more also qualify: Butterfly Weed, Prairie Smoke, Wild Columbine, Dense Blazing Star, Rocky Mountain Penstemon, Golden Alexanders, Cup Plant, Buttonbush, Foxglove Beardtongue, Oregon Grape, Compass Plant, Red-Twig Dogwood, Common Milkweed, Bearberry, Rattlesnake Master, Blue Vervain, Stiff Goldenrod, New Jersey Tea, American Elderberry, Purple Prairie Clover, Common Boneset, Ninebark, Showy Milkweed, Fragrant Sumac.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Wyoming
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.