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
Michigan · Zones 4–6
Native Plants for Birds in Michigan
Seed, berry, and cover plants that feed songbirds year-round — and the caterpillars that nesting birds actually raise their chicks on. Michigan sits in a landscape of Great Lakes forest & dune, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its humid continental, lake-moderated character. The list below — led by Arrowwood Viburnum and Showy Goldenrod — is filtered to species genuinely native to Michigan and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 4–6. 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 Michigan
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–6 · see this collection in other states.
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; golden plumes flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Feeds songbirds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; rosy purple flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
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
A winter seed source songbirds return to, yellow flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A winter seed source songbirds return to, white bracts flowers.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, reaching 5–10 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, spreading 2–4 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 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
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, 6–10 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — for clay and loam ground.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; pink-white bells flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
A winter seed source birds return to, happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Feeds birds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
A winter seed source birds return to, flat gold heads flowers.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
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
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; happy in clay and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Compass Plant
Silphium laciniatum
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, yellow flowers.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
A winter seed source birds return to, 1.5–2.5 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–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
Cinnamon Fern
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, good through zone 9.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Foliage
6 more also qualify: Pennsylvania Sedge, Prairie Dropseed, Indian Grass, Switchgrass, Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Michigan
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.