Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Bird food twice over — seed heads birds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Tennessee · Zones 6–8
Native Plants for Birds in Tennessee
Seed, berry, and cover plants that feed songbirds year-round — and the caterpillars that nesting birds actually raise their chicks on. For Tennessee, the right natives are shaped by Cumberland Plateau, Ridge & Valley, cedar glades and a humid, four-season climate. Every species below, from Trumpet Honeysuckle and Maximilian Sunflower to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Tennessee 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
33 native species for Tennessee
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Maximilian Sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, golden yellow flowers.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, reaching 5–10 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; reaching 2–4 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; reaching 2–3 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
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
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
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Feeds songbirds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A winter seed source birds return to, golden yellow flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
A winter seed source songbirds return to, hardy in zones 5–9.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; 2–4 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
A winter seed source songbirds return to, 5–10 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; happy in sand, clay, and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; 1.5–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — good through zone 9.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
A winter seed source songbirds return to, good through zone 7.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Compass Plant
Silphium laciniatum
A winter seed source songbirds return to, good through zone 9.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Seed for songbirds and caterpillars for their nestlings — 10–20 ft wide.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
A winter seed source birds return to, inconspicuous flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
A winter seed source birds return to, flat gold heads flowers.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
A winter seed source birds return to, spreading 3–6 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — oat-like, orange anthers flowers.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
A winter seed source songbirds return to, hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
9 more also qualify: Blue Vervain, Ninebark, Big Bluestem, Cinnamon Fern, Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, Switchgrass, Indian Grass, Pennsylvania Sedge.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Tennessee
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.