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A bee nectars on one of many bright yellow flowers with red centers.
(Photo: Xerces Society / Jennifer Hopwood)

You can help pollinators significantly by growing a diversity of native plants in your space. Our regional native plant lists, though not exhaustive, highlight species that have been shown to provide a number of benefits to a diversity of pollinators. These native plants can be grown across rural and urban landscapes to create new pollinator habitat or to enhance existing habitat.

Our plant lists include key flowering plants that provide pollinators with nectar and pollen. We also highlight host plants for caterpillars of butterflies and moths, plants that provide nest sites or nesting materials for above-ground nesting bees, and plants that support specialist bees that require pollen from certain plants. Our lists also note those plants that support beneficial insects such as predatory or parasitoid insects that help to control pests of ornamental and crop plants.

Pollinator Plant Lists

Additional Resources

For additional plant suggestions, see the plant list sections within our Pollinator Conservation Resource Center, or check out our books, Attracting Native Pollinators, 100 Plants to Feed the Bees, Gardening for Butterflies, 100 Plants to Feed the Monarch, and Farming with Native Beneficial Insects.

 


United States Resources

Pollinator Conservation Resource Center

Find national and region-specific resources including plant lists, conservation guides, seed mixes, native plant nursery and seed producers, and more in our searchable library.

 

USDA PLANTS Database - The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.

 

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Database - This useful database allows you to filter results based upon a number of parameters such as bloom time, light requirements, soil preference and more to find just the right native plant for your needs. 

 

North American Native Plant Societies - a comprehensive list of native plant societies by state or province. Native plant societies can be helpful in finding local nurseries specializing in native plants and for providing suggestions and information about the plants that are native where you live.

Canada Resources

David Suzuki Foundation

Canadian Wildlife Federation

Britain Resources

Royal Horticultural Society

British Beekeepers Association

BBC

BugLife

Switzerland (and France) Resources

Pronatura, Basel, Switzerland. A leaflet about creating a bee-friendly garden (in French).

Mexico Resources

University of Rochester, Minckley Lab

Singapore Resources

Plants in Tropical Cities, by Bee et al. This guide includes photos of 2,800 tropical plants (mostly ornamentals), with a list of those attractive to butterflies and to birds at the back.

Australia Resources

Native Bees on Wildflowers in Western Australia, by Terry F. Houston (June 2000). Perth, WA: Western Australian Museum. p. 41. ISBN 0-646-39816-4

New Zealand Resources

Trees for Bees. Plant lists for gardens and farms.

Kenya (East Africa) Resources

Our Friends The Pollinators: A Handbook of Pollinator Diversity and Conservation in East Africa