Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; spreading 1.5–2 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Vermont · Zones 3–5
Native Plants for Birds in Vermont
Seed, berry, and cover plants that feed songbirds year-round — and the caterpillars that nesting birds actually raise their chicks on. For Vermont, the right natives are shaped by Green Mountains & Champlain Valley and a cold, humid continental climate. Every species below, from Purple Coneflower and Arrowwood Viburnum to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Vermont and the wider flora of the Northeast and hardy through zones 3–5. 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
26 native species for Vermont
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Bird food twice over — seed heads songbirds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
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
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; 15–25 ft tall.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; 12–18 in wide.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Seed for songbirds and caterpillars for their nestlings — white spring lace flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 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
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; white pincushions flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
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
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, 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Bird food twice over — seed heads songbirds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; for clay and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
A winter seed source birds return to, violet-blue flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Feeds birds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Bird food twice over — seed heads birds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
A winter seed source birds return to, for sand, clay, and loam ground.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Feeds songbirds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Feeds birds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Fall color
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Seed for songbirds and caterpillars for their nestlings — spreading 1.5–2 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Fall color
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Bird food twice over — seed heads songbirds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Feeds birds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 6–12 in
- Foliage
2 more also qualify: Cinnamon Fern, Indian Grass.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Vermont
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.