Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Arkansas · Zones 6–8
Native Pollinator Plants in Arkansas
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. For Arkansas, the right natives are shaped by Ozark Highlands & Mississippi Alluvial Plain and a humid subtropical climate. Every species below, from Wild Columbine and Pasque Flower to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Arkansas and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 6–8. 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
64 native species for Arkansas
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees right through when it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 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
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators and native bees while it blooms May through Jul.
- Part shade
- Average
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms May through Oct.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 2–5 ft
- Blooms May–Oct
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, native bees, and songbirds while it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms May through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Obedient Plant
Physostegia virginiana
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators and native bees while it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Nectar and pollen for the garden — 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
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Works hard for pollinators — 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
40 more also qualify: Prairie Blazing Star, Short-Toothed Mountain Mint, Eastern Redbud, Golden Alexanders, Prairie Smoke, Wild Geranium, Winterberry, Wild Bergamot, Aromatic Aster, Crossvine, Serviceberry, Black-Eyed Susan, Buttonbush, Smooth Hydrangea, Swamp Milkweed, Woodland Phlox, Foxglove Beardtongue, Anise Hyssop, Trumpet Honeysuckle, Purple Coneflower, Wild Bleeding Heart, Virginia Bluebells, Rattlesnake Master, Common Boneset, Purple Prairie Clover, Inkberry Holly, Showy Milkweed, New Jersey Tea, Compass Plant, Wild Lupine, Blue Vervain, Ninebark, Fragrant Sumac, Spicebush, Creeping Phlox, Red-Twig Dogwood, American Elderberry, Stiff Goldenrod, Wild Ginger, Common Milkweed.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Arkansas
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.