Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and butterflies, vivid orange flowers and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Virginia · Zones 6–8
Native Plants for Bees in Virginia
The native flowers that feed honey bees, bumblebees, and the hundreds of solitary native bees most gardeners never notice. Virginia sits in a landscape of Blue Ridge, Piedmont & Tidewater, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its humid, four-season character. The list below — led by Butterfly Weed and Buttonbush — is filtered to species genuinely native to Virginia and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic and hardy through zones 6–8. Most of our native bees are solitary and unfussy, but they depend on a steady supply of pollen-rich, single (not double) flowers. Open daisy and umbel shapes are easiest for short-tongued bees, while tubular flowers reward the long-tongued bumblebees. Skip pesticides entirely and leave some bare, undisturbed ground and pithy stems where ground- and stem-nesting bees raise their young.
The plants
51 native species for Virginia
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 6–8 · see this collection in other states.
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, for clay and loam ground and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees — 4–7 ft wide, blooming in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; 2–4 ft tall, it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and hummingbirds; orange-red flowers, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 25–50 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; 20–30 ft tall, it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 20–30 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Wild Bleeding Heart
Dicentra eximia
One the bees find first — feeds native bees and hummingbirds; good through zone 8, it blooms Apr through Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 12–18 in
- Blooms Apr–Aug
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and butterflies, reaching 2–4 ft and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it — lavender-pink flowers, blooming from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies, 1.5–2 ft tall and flowering from May to Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with hummingbirds and native bees, cold-hardy to zone 3 and flowering from Apr to Jun.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; 12–18 in wide, it flowers in Jul and Aug.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — silvery bracts flowers, blooming from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees and butterflies — white spring lace flowers, blooming in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; white candelabra flowers, it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees; spreading 2–3 ft, it flowers in Sep and Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; cold-hardy to zone 4, it flowers in Aug and Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Pollen-rich and bee-friendly — feeds native bees and butterflies, hardy in zones 3–9 and flowering from Jun to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
A bee plant first and foremost — feeds native bees — 1–2 ft wide, blooming in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Woodland Phlox
Phlox divaricata
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies; lavender-blue flowers, it flowers in Apr and May.
- Part shade
- Average
- 10–15 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
One the bees find first — feeds native bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies, for clay and loam ground and flowering in Jul and Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2.5–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens
Bee fuel — pollen-rich, single flowers — feeds native bees, white domes flowers and flowering from Jun to Aug.
- Part shade
- Average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees — happy in clay and loam soil, blooming from Apr to Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium maculatum
One the bees find first — feeds the specialist bees that depend on it, along with butterflies and native bees, 2–4 ft wide and flowering from Jul to Sep.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
27 more also qualify: Flowering Dogwood, Aromatic Aster, Common Yarrow, Cup Plant, Arrowwood Viburnum, Foxglove Beardtongue, Virginia Bluebells, Black-Eyed Susan, Swamp Milkweed, Winterberry, Prairie Blazing Star, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Obedient Plant, Wild Lupine, Ninebark, Common Boneset, Rattlesnake Master, Creeping Phlox, Spicebush, Fragrant Sumac, Blue Vervain, Common Milkweed, Stiff Goldenrod, Red-Twig Dogwood, American Elderberry, Inkberry Holly, New Jersey Tea.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Virginia
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.