Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Seed for songbirds and caterpillars for their nestlings — reaching 15–25 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Montana · Zones 3–5
Native Plants for Birds in Montana
Seed, berry, and cover plants that feed songbirds year-round — and the caterpillars that nesting birds actually raise their chicks on. Montana sits in a landscape of Northern Rockies & Great Plains steppe, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cold, semi-arid character. The list below — led by Serviceberry and Showy Goldenrod — is filtered to species genuinely native to Montana and the wider flora of the Mountain West and hardy through zones 3–5. Feeders are a snack; native plants are the real grocery store. Berries and seed heads carry birds through fall and winter, while the caterpillars these natives host are what nearly all songbirds feed their young in spring. Leave the seed heads standing, hold off on fall cleanup, and let a layer of leaves and shrubs give birds the cover they need.
The plants
27 native species for Montana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, spreading 1.5–2 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, spreading 3–6 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Red-Flowering Currant
Ribes sanguineum
A winter seed source birds return to, 4–8 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A winter seed source birds return to, rosy purple flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
A winter seed source birds return to, hardy in zones 5–9.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
A winter seed source songbirds return to, 2–4 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, bright gold flowers.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, reaching 5–8 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, reaching 3–5 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
Bird food twice over — seed heads birds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 8–20 in
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, reaching 5–10 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; happy in clay and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Oregon Grape
Berberis aquifolium
A winter seed source songbirds return to, cold-hardy to zone 5.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, spreading 6–12 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
A winter seed source birds return to, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Compass Plant
Silphium laciniatum
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; 3–6 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Feeds birds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Feeds songbirds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Feeds songbirds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Full sun
- Dry to wet
- 4–7 ft
- Fall color
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Bird food twice over — seed heads songbirds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
3 more also qualify: Indian Grass, Prairie Dropseed, Little Bluestem.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Montana
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.