Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Iowa · Zones 4–6
Native Pollinator Plants in Iowa
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. Every species here is genuinely native to Iowa and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 4–6 — proven performers for Iowa's humid continental, cold winters climate across Western Corn Belt tallgrass prairie, not a generic list. Local standouts include Cardinal Flower and Serviceberry. 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
59 native species for Iowa
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–6 · see this collection in other states.
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
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it blooms Mar through May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators and native bees while it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
35 more also qualify: Common Yarrow, Culver's Root, Dense Blazing Star, Wild Bergamot, Foxglove Beardtongue, Swamp Milkweed, Golden Alexanders, Pasque Flower, Smooth Hydrangea, Winterberry, Arrowwood Viburnum, Black-Eyed Susan, Blanketflower, Chocolate Flower, Eastern Redbud, Scarlet Beebalm, Woodland Phlox, Common Milkweed, Creeping Phlox, Compass Plant, Wild Ginger, Blue Vervain, Common Boneset, Wild Lupine, New Jersey Tea, Ninebark, American Elderberry, Rattlesnake Master, Showy Milkweed, Spicebush, Red-Twig Dogwood, Fragrant Sumac, Purple Prairie Clover, Bearberry, Stiff Goldenrod.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Iowa
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.