17 Native Plants for Pollinators in Midwest Gardens

The exciting part of planning a pollinator garden in the Midwest, or even adding a few plants to the current collection, is the number of natives that call it home. Flowering trees, shrubs, and perennials that support pollinators abound. Pollinators include hummingbirds, bats, bees, butterflies, moths, and other beneficial insects like parasitic wasps and hoverflies that balance a garden’s ecosystem. The pollinators boost our blooms and increase our vegetable garden yields, as insects are essential for many crops to produce.

The U.S. Census Bureau identifies the Midwest region as 12 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Ecologically, that covers a lot of ground and ecotypes, from the plains to the Great Lakes and everything in between. It helps to look at ecoregions, or areas within a region where environmental resources are similar. Ecoregions account for geology, hydrology, climate, wildlife, plant communities, soils, and more.

Agastache foeniculum is native to northern North America with a widespread range. It was once grown in masses in parts of the Midwest and Canada to attract bees for honey production.

Giant blue hyssop thrives in moist and dry soils as long as they’re well-draining. While it’s not an aggressive spreader like other mints, it reseeds in optimal conditions. Cut back spent blooms to promote a profusion of blooms all season.

New England Aster

	botanical name Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-6’
	hardiness zones 3-8

New England aster is native to grasslands and woodland edges. The perennial flowers well into fall with purple clusters on tall stems. Fine ray petals fan around a central yellow disc that holds pollen and nectar. The blooms peak as others begin to fade, offering a late-season food source for native bees and other beneficial insects. It also supports late migratory butterflies like monarchs as they travel to warmer climates.

Smooth aster is another native of the Midwest. The species is more compact, at two to four feet tall, with sky-blue flowers and good mildew resistance. They host the caterpillar of the pearl crescent butterfly, who overwinter at the base.

A North Dakota State University study evaluated pollinator preferences among select native perennials and their cultivars. Asters ranked high on attracting hoverflies and bees (especially New England aster. Hoverflies are a beneficial insect, helpful in controlling aphid populations. New England was the biggest draw for pollinators, followed by smooth aster.

White Wild Indigo

	botanical name Baptisia alba
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-6’
	hardiness zones 5-8

White wild indigo packs milky, pea-like blooms in spring and summer above soft, blue-green foliage. After flowers fade, the spikes bear showy seed pods with lasting winter interest.

Baptisia is native to the central and eastern U.S. and grows naturally along streambanks, in meadows, and in open woodlands. Native bees and bumblebees appreciate the legume blooms and nestle into each one. Duskywings and other species use white wild indigo as a host.

Baptisia is long-lived and grows easily from seed, though it can be slow to bloom. It spends the first season or two establishing extensive roots that make it resilient against fluctuating conditions. From seed, it may take a few years to flower. For faster development, opt for plugs or nursery pots.

Wild Geranium

	botanical name Geranium maculatum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-2’
	hardiness zones 3-11

Wild geraniums are woodland flowering perennials with attractive foliage and pastel lavender-rose blooms. Fresh, true green leaves are deeply cut with seven lobes. The species forms an open, upright habit and has compact roots.

Also called spotted geranium and alum root, the perennial wildflower is low-maintenance and beautiful in the woodland or naturalized arrangement. It’s a pollinator magnet for its nectar and pollen resources, with early blooms that repeat sporadically through fall.

Wild geranium establishes easily, reseeds, and slowly naturalizes. The species supports specialist bees and bumblebees, is a larval host plant for moth species, and draws beneficial insects.

Butterfly Milkweed

	botanical name Asclepias tuberosa
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-3’
	hardiness zones 3-10

Milkweed is the quintessential butterfly pollinator plant. It provides nectar for important pollinators and beneficial insects and is a host for monarch caterpillars. It’s also a shelter for their gold-lined chrysalis.

Butterfly milkweed is a heat-loving species with bright, flat-topped bloom clusters in red-orange.. When it finishes flowering, collect seeds to scatter and share, or let them drop naturally to expand the colony.

Another pollinator native to the Midwest is Asclepias incarnata, or swamp milkweed. It’s a prime choice for moist garden areas with a natural habitat along marshes, pond edges, bogs, and woodlands. It produces flat clusters of deep pink blooms, making the perfect landing pad for butterflies.

Common milkweed (A. syriaca) is another central and eastern North America species with fragrant pink, purple, and white flowers. On shrubby, two-to-three-foot stems, the fragrant blooms emerge in clusters. In addition to monarchs, hummingbirds and other butterflies find the nectar irresistible.

Common Ninebark

	botanical name Physocarpus opulifolius
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-8’
	hardiness zones 2-8

Common ninebark is a flowering native shrub for the Midwest that draws bumblebees to its prolific, nectar-rich flowers. Soft, pink-white clusters cover the specimens in spring. Native to eastern North America, ninebark is drought-tolerant, withstands various soils, and is exceptionally cold-hardy.

Ninebark’s seasonal ornament includes new leaves in chartreuse that age to deeper green and turn yellow in late summer and fall. Drooping red berries develop after flowering, and in winter, exfoliating, peeling bark exposes red, copper, and light brown hues.

Common ninebark attracts beneficials and is a host to numerous moths. In addition to pollinators favoring the blooms, birds and small mammals forage on the fruits.

Heliopsis

	botanical name Heliopsis helianthoides
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-5’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Heliopsis (also ox-eye daisy or oxeye sunflower) has gold, sunflower blooms with fuzzy yellow centers. The bright flowers rise above deep green leaves on tall stems from summer through fall. 

The sunny flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Birds eat the seeds post-bloom, and any leftovers self-sow in ideal conditions.

Stiff, sturdy stems grow to five feet tall. Heliopsis adapts to a wide range of soil conditions, making it an easy-to-grow perennial in the wildflower garden. Place it mid-to-back of the border to enjoy its spray and extended show of color.

Prairie Blazing Star

	botanical name Liatris pycnostachya
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-5’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Blazing star, or gayfeather, represents a genus with about forty species and numerous cultivars. Liatris pycnostachya is native to damp prairies of the Midwest and bordering states. The butterfly favorite has dense stalks lined with magenta and pink flowers. Arching, fine-bladed foliage forms a clump beneath the upright stems. 

Prairie blazing star is bold, showy, and a beacon for various insects in mid to late summer. The species also serves as a host for butterflies and moths. Leave the perennial standing in winter for nesting and interesting seedheads.

Wild Bergamot

	botanical name Monarda fistulosa
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-4’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Wild bergamot, also called beebalm, is a favorite performer due to its flared pinky-lavender blooms and aromatic leaves. Two-inch flowers with pompom petals cluster on stems above minty foliage. With its bright, tubular blooms, it attracts an assortment of pollinating insects like monarchs, specialist bees, parasitic wasps, and hawkmoths.

Beebalm delights with a long bloom season from early summer through fall. M. fistulosa has hollow stems that provide nesting sites for overwintering. Leave them standing in fall and winter as habitat.

Wild bergamot is healthiest with ample air circulation in rich, evenly moist soils. Deadhead spent blooms to prolong flowering and prevent reseeding where space is an issue (monarda spreads by both seeds and rhizomes).

Foxglove Penstemon

	botanical name Penstemon digitalis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-5’
	hardiness zones 3-8

Foxglove penstemon (or foxglove beardtongue) is an enchanting wildflower with tall spikes of bell blooms. Bees love the nectar and stay busy visiting each blossom. Both beautiful and beneficial, the perennial is also adaptable. It tolerates dry and moist situations and varying exposures. It’s a fit for rain gardens or areas with clay or sandy soils (though a rich loam is ideal).

One-inch flowers are white with purple-lined throats. The species flowers for months from late spring to early summer, enchanting pollinators and garden visitors alike. 

Prairie Coneflower

	botanical name Ratibida pinnata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-5’
	hardiness zones 3-8

Prairie coneflower is a long-blooming Midwest native pollinator plant. The ornamental, easy-care wildflower offers nectar for pollinators into fall and seeds for birds and mammals into winter. With tall flowers in rich yellow, this prairie species flowers until frost. 

Grey-head coneflower is cold-hardy with tall stems, best in mass or mixed planting that obscures sparse leaves. The ray flowers droop downward around a prominent central cone.

Prairie coneflower is fast-growing, drought-tolerant, and withstands competition from other plants. It can be aggressive in its optimum growing conditions and may overtake weaker plants.

Solidago

	botanical name Solidago speciosa
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-7’
	hardiness zones 3-8

Showy goldenrod is a native Midwest plant for pollinators with golden yellow bloom spires from summer through fall. Solidago attracts specialized bees, butterflies, and other beneficials and provides nesting sites with hollow stems. 

To prevent aggressive spreading by seed, deadhead spent blooms. Clipping spent blooms also prolongs flowering, but be sure to leave some late in the season for birds who use the seeds as valuable forage.

Solidago is adaptable, durable, and both heat-tolerant and cold-hardy. It flowers best in consistent moisture and well-draining soils, though it’s also highly tolerant of poor soils.

Swamp Sunflower

	botanical name Helianthus angustifolius
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-8’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Perennial sunflowers have tall, branching stems with clusters of yellow daisy-ray flowers and willowy leaves. They bloom in late summer and fall for a late show of bright gold. Swamp sunflower is an excellent food source for birds and specialized bees, and a host plant for the silvery checkerspot butterfly.

Swamp sunflowers are large perennials when their tall stems are in flower. They lend a naturalized, informal look to the arrangement. 

As the common name indicates, swamp sunflowers tolerate occasionally wet situations, but also dry spells. They also withstand high heat and humidity.

Buttonbush

	botanical name Cephalanthus occidentalis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 5-8’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Buttonbush is a loose native shrub with globe blooms that draw bees for their nectar and pollen. Fragrant, spherical flowers appear from June through September. The tubular flowers have long styles that form a flared pincushion.

In 1735, the commercial introduction of buttonbush was to interest beekeepers in its pollinator-attracting attributes (the woodies also go by the common name “honey-bells”). The native grows across challenging sites, including wet areas and eroded sites, and provides habitat.

Cutleaf Coneflower

	botanical name Rudbeckia laciniata
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-10’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Cutleaf, or green-headed coneflower, sends up high sprays of golden ray flowers. Pronounced green or brown central discs lead the trailing petals skyward. Cutleaf coneflower is a host to several moth species, including the wavy-lined emerald.

This Rudbeckia has vibrant flowers that rise above attractive dark green leaves that are deeply cut, serrated, and mounding. The perennials spread through rhizomes to form dense colonies and divide easily. 

Deadhead faded flowers to foster reblooming, but leave some toward the end of summer. Goldfinches and other songbirds forage on persisting seeds in fall.

Little Bluestem

	botanical name Schizachyrium scoparium
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-4’
	hardiness zones 3-10

Little bluestem is a favorite grass and native pollinator plant for the Midwest. Tufts of narrow, folded blades, usually upright, have blue-tinged new growth that matures to reddish-gold. The grass provides nesting thatch for overwintering insects. It also supports multiple skipper butterfly species in the larval stage. Don’t forget to include native grasses among flowering perennials to diversify the habitat benefits.

Little bluestem has fluffy, white seeds that provide forage for birds. The species is widely adapted to different growing regions and occurs in lower Canada and most U.S. states except Washington and Nevada. Clay and sandy soils are its native textures, but like many grasses, it tolerates various types.

American Mountain Mint

	botanical name Pycnanthemum virginianum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-3’
	hardiness zones 3-7

Mountain mint is a valuable native pollinator plant for the Midwest with aromatic leaves. Petite white blooms with purple specks emerge from July to September. When crushed, the leaves and petals have a spearmint aroma and are flavorful in cooking and teas. 

The herb is informal and well-suited to meadow plantings, especially in moist situations. Mountain mint grows naturally in grassy, open fields, meadows, and low woodland areas. The clump-forming woody spreads by rhizomes but isn’t invasive; cut the roots with a spade to control the spread if space is an issue.