Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Seed for songbirds and caterpillars for their nestlings — white spring lace flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
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- For birds
Pennsylvania · Zones 5–7
Native Plants for Birds in Pennsylvania
Seed, berry, and cover plants that feed songbirds year-round — and the caterpillars that nesting birds actually raise their chicks on. Every species here is genuinely native to Pennsylvania and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic and hardy through zones 5–7 — proven performers for Pennsylvania's humid continental climate across Appalachian ridge-and-valley & Piedmont, not a generic list. Local standouts include Serviceberry and Arrowwood Viburnum. 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
33 native species for Pennsylvania
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–7 · see this collection in other states.
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Seed for songbirds and caterpillars for their nestlings — reaching 6–10 ft.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, good through zone 9.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
A winter seed source songbirds return to, reaching 5–10 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; reaching 5–8 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; bright gold flowers.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; golden plumes flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A winter seed source songbirds return to, happy in loam soil.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — happy in clay and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
A winter seed source songbirds return to, reaching 5–8 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
A winter seed source birds return to, happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, golden yellow flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
A winter seed source songbirds return to, pink (then purple fruit) flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, 5–10 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
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
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Bird food twice over — seed heads birds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
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
Compass Plant
Silphium laciniatum
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, happy in clay and loam soil.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, reaching 4–8 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
A winter seed source songbirds return to, happy in clay and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, pink-white bells flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
9 more also qualify: Spicebush, Fragrant Sumac, Indian Grass, Cinnamon Fern, Big Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, Switchgrass, Little Bluestem, Pennsylvania Sedge.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Pennsylvania
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.