Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and butterflies — lavender flowers, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Michigan · Zones 4–6
Native Plants for Bees in Michigan
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. Michigan sits in a landscape of Great Lakes forest & dune, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its humid continental, lake-moderated character. The list below — led by Wild Bergamot and Butterfly Weed — is filtered to species genuinely native to Michigan and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 4–6. Most of our native bees are solitary and unfussy, but they depend on a steady supply of pollen-rich, single (not double) flowers. Open daisy and umbel shapes are easiest for short-tongued bees, while tubular flowers reward the long-tongued bumblebees. Skip pesticides entirely and leave some bare, undisturbed ground and pithy stems where ground- and stem-nesting bees raise their young.
The plants
53 native species for Michigan
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–6 · see this collection in other states.
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies, reaching 1.5–2.5 ft and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees and butterflies — 3–4 ft tall, blooming in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies; creamy white flowers, it flowers in May and Jun.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — golden plumes flowers, blooming in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — cold-hardy to zone 3, blooming in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies — happy in clay and loam soil, blooming in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees, red & yellow flowers and flowering from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, 1.5–2 ft wide and flowering from May to Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; 12–18 in wide, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, happy in clay and loam soil and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, happy in loam soil and flowering in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, 5–10 ft tall and flowering in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, hardy in zones 3–7 and flowering in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — 2–3 ft tall, blooming from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies; spreading 2–3 ft, it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies — rosy purple flowers, blooming from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, yellow flowers and flowering from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, reaching 2–3 ft and flowering in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; purple-magenta flowers, it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies — spreading 1.5–2 ft, blooming from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies; white bracts flowers, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — white candelabra flowers, blooming from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, hardy in zones 3–7 and flowering in Mar and Apr.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
29 more also qualify: Buttonbush, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Foxglove Beardtongue, Wild Geranium, Obedient Plant, New England Aster, Maximilian Sunflower, Black-Eyed Susan, Golden Alexanders, Scarlet Beebalm, Virginia Bluebells, Eastern Redbud, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Red-Twig Dogwood, Common Boneset, Wild Lupine, New Jersey Tea, Spicebush, Bearberry, Ninebark, Creeping Phlox, Purple Prairie Clover, Stiff Goldenrod, Rattlesnake Master, Fragrant Sumac, Common Milkweed, American Elderberry, Compass Plant, Blue Vervain.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Michigan
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.