Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
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North Dakota · Zones 3–4
Native Pollinator Plants in North Dakota
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. North Dakota sits in a landscape of Northern mixedgrass prairie & Drift Prairie, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cold, semi-arid character. The list below — led by Spotted Joe-Pye Weed and Culver's Root — is filtered to species genuinely native to North Dakota and the wider flora of the Great Plains and hardy through zones 3–4. 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
41 native species for North Dakota
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–4 · see this collection in other states.
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees while it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms May through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
17 more also qualify: Great Blue Lobelia, Purple Coneflower, Common Yarrow, Maximilian Sunflower, Compass Plant, Red-Twig Dogwood, New Jersey Tea, Ninebark, Common Boneset, Stiff Goldenrod, Fragrant Sumac, Common Milkweed, American Elderberry, Purple Prairie Clover, Showy Milkweed, Blue Vervain, Rattlesnake Master.
Sourcing
Where to find these in North Dakota
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.