Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Montana · Zones 3–5
Native Pollinator Plants in Montana
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. 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 Swamp Milkweed and Wild Bergamot — is filtered to species genuinely native to Montana and the wider flora of the Mountain West and hardy through zones 3–5. 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
50 native species for Montana
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Keeps pollinators fed — 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
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Apr through Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Penstemon strictus
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees as it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, native bees, and seed-eating birds right through when it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees while it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
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
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Red-Flowering Currant
Ribes sanguineum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Nectar and pollen for the garden — 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
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees as it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies while it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Western Columbine
Aquilegia formosa
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when it blooms Apr through Jul.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jul
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms Jul through Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Firecracker Penstemon
Penstemon eatonii
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it blooms Mar through May.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
26 more also qualify: Douglas Aster, Common Yarrow, Butterfly Weed, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Dense Blazing Star, Chocolate Flower, Eastern Redbud, Aromatic Aster, New England Aster, Obedient Plant, Maximilian Sunflower, Stiff Goldenrod, Common Boneset, Ninebark, Red-Twig Dogwood, Oregon Grape, Showy Milkweed, American Elderberry, Purple Prairie Clover, Rattlesnake Master, Common Milkweed, Blue Vervain, Compass Plant, Bearberry, Fragrant Sumac, New Jersey Tea.
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.