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
Oklahoma · Zones 6–8
Native Plants for Birds in Oklahoma
Seed, berry, and cover plants that feed songbirds year-round — and the caterpillars that nesting birds actually raise their chicks on. Oklahoma sits in a landscape of Cross Timbers & mixedgrass prairie, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its continental, hot summers character. The list below — led by Serviceberry and Maximilian Sunflower — is filtered to species genuinely native to Oklahoma and the wider flora of the Great Plains and hardy through zones 6–8. 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
33 native species for Oklahoma
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, happy in sand, clay, and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, spreading 1.5–2 ft.
- 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
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; for clay and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, reaching 5–8 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Seed for songbirds and caterpillars for their nestlings — for clay and loam ground.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
A winter seed source songbirds return to, reaching 5–10 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A winter seed source songbirds return to, spreading 15–25 ft.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; for sand, clay, and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; 1.5–2 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; pink (then purple fruit) flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
A winter seed source birds return to, good through zone 10.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Compass Plant
Silphium laciniatum
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, 2–3 ft wide.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
A winter seed source birds return to, happy in sand, clay, and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; white, white berries flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
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
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
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; white to pink flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; spreading 1.5–2.5 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
A winter seed source songbirds return to, creamy umbels flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — reaching 1.5–2.5 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Feeds birds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
9 more also qualify: Blue Grama, Blue Vervain, Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Pennsylvania Sedge, Cinnamon Fern, Switchgrass, Indian Grass, Prairie Dropseed.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Oklahoma
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.