Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Wisconsin · Zones 3–5
Native Pollinator Plants in Wisconsin
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. For Wisconsin, the right natives are shaped by Northern forest, driftless prairie & oak savanna and a cold continental climate. Every species below, from Great Blue Lobelia and Golden Alexanders to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Wisconsin and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 3–5. 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
56 native species for Wisconsin
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees as it blooms Mar through May.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Keeps pollinators fed — 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
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 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
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
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Works hard for pollinators — 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
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators and native bees while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees while it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
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
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
32 more also qualify: Eastern Redbud, New England Aster, Black-Eyed Susan, Winterberry, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Swamp Milkweed, Short-Toothed Mountain Mint, Buttonbush, Foamflower, Pasque Flower, Prairie Blazing Star, Wild Columbine, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Serviceberry, Purple Coneflower, Bearberry, Spicebush, Blue Vervain, Creeping Phlox, Purple Prairie Clover, Wild Lupine, Compass Plant, Common Milkweed, New Jersey Tea, Common Boneset, Rattlesnake Master, Wild Ginger, American Elderberry, Stiff Goldenrod, Fragrant Sumac, Red-Twig Dogwood, Ninebark.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Wisconsin
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.