Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Michigan · Zones 4–6
Native Pollinator Plants in Michigan
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. 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. 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 Michigan
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–6 · see this collection in other states.
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–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
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
A reliable nectar stop — 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 right through when it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators and native bees while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators and native bees right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, native bees, and songbirds as it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Keeps pollinators fed — 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
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Sep through Nov.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Nov
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
32 more also qualify: Culver's Root, Pasque Flower, 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, Wild Ginger, 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.