Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
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- For birds
North Carolina · Zones 6–8
Native Plants for Birds in North Carolina
Seed, berry, and cover plants that feed songbirds year-round — and the caterpillars that nesting birds actually raise their chicks on. For North Carolina, the right natives are shaped by Blue Ridge, Piedmont & Coastal Plain and a humid subtropical to montane climate. Every species below, from Cup Plant and Arrowwood Viburnum to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to North Carolina and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 6–8. 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
29 native species for North Carolina
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Bird food twice over — seed heads songbirds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Feeds songbirds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
A winter seed source songbirds return to, hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Feeds birds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, hardy in zones 6–10.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, reaching 1.5–2 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; spreading 15–25 ft.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
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
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, pink (then purple fruit) flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
A winter seed source birds return to, cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, 3–5 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; spreading 5–10 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Bird food twice over — seed heads songbirds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
A winter seed source songbirds return to, 6–12 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; inconspicuous flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Bird food twice over — seed heads birds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, violet-blue flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
A winter seed source songbirds return to, spreading 6–10 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Seed for songbirds and caterpillars for their nestlings — spreading 1.5–2 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Fall color
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — 6–12 in tall.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 6–12 in
- Foliage
5 more also qualify: Switchgrass, Indian Grass, Big Bluestem, Cinnamon Fern, Prairie Dropseed.
Sourcing
Where to find these in North Carolina
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.