Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
A winter seed source songbirds return to, white, red berries flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Indiana · Zones 5–7
Native Plants for Birds in Indiana
Seed, berry, and cover plants that feed songbirds year-round — and the caterpillars that nesting birds actually raise their chicks on. For Indiana, the right natives are shaped by Eastern Corn Belt Plains & oak savanna and a humid continental climate. Every species below, from Winterberry and Serviceberry to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Indiana and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 5–7. 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
30 native species for Indiana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
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
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — 3–6 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; happy in loam soil.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; bright gold flowers.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
A winter seed source birds return to, 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
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
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
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, golden plumes flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, reaching 2–4 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; 1.5–3 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Feeds songbirds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
A winter seed source birds return to, reaching 4–8 in.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Compass Plant
Silphium laciniatum
A winter seed source songbirds return to, hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, for clay, rocky, and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — hardy in zones 4–9.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
A winter seed source songbirds return to, reaching 6–12 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
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
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, violet-blue flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, 6–9 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 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
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Bird food twice over — seed heads birds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 6–12 in
- Foliage
6 more also qualify: Indian Grass, Cinnamon Fern, Little Bluestem, Switchgrass, Big Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Indiana
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.