Native & Beneficial Plants
Native plants support pollinators such as hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, but they also create a foundation for the entire local food chain. Many insects eat only native plants as larvae, and most birds rely on insects for part of their life. Even backyard seed-eating birds like chickadees and finches raise their young almost exclusively on caterpillars.
Because backyards and lawn grass occupy over 40 million acres of the US, homeowners have the collective power to conserve biodiversity with their landscaping choices. Replacing lawns with native plants and avoiding yard chemicals are important ways to strengthen local ecosystems, one backyard at a time.
There are hundreds of native and beneficial plants found in Massachusetts; incorporate this starting list to support your outdoor space.
Wildlife & Pollinator-Friendly Plants
Floral Plants Native to New England
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Goldenrod -
Columbine © Deborah Kellogg -
Spotted Joe-pye Weed
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Aster -
Wild Bergamot
| Floral Plants Native to New England | |
|---|---|
| American spikenard Aralia racemosa | Aromatic Aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolius |
| Barren strawberry Geum fragarioides | Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi |
| Bird’s Foot Viola pedata (and other Violets) | Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum |
| Butterfly Weed Ascelpias tuberosa | Calico Aster Symphyotrichum lateriflorum |
| Canada anemone Anemone canadensis | Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis |
| Clustered Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum muticum | Common Yarrow Achillea millefolium |
| Coral bells Heuchera americana* | Culver’s Root Veronicastrum virginicum |
| Cut-leaf Coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata | Dwarf honeysuckle/Bush honeysuckle Diervilla lonicera |
| Foamflower Tiarella cordifolia | Goat’s Beard Aruncus dioicus |
| Golden alexanders Zizia aurea | Golden groundsel Packera aurea |
| Goldenrods Solidago spp. | Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica |
| Hoary Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum incanum | Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium maculatum |
| Lowbush blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium | Narrow-leaved Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum tenuifolium |
| New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae | New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus |
| New York Ironweed Vernonia novebracensis | Northern Blazing Star Liatris scariosa |
| Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana* (can spread aggresively) | Ohio spiderwort Tradescantia ohioensis |
| Pale-leaved Sunflower Helianthus strumosus | Rue Anemone Thalictrum thalictroides |
| Smooth Aster Symphyotrichum laeve | Smooth beardtongue Penstemon digitalis |
| Sneezeweed/Helen's Flower Helenium autumnale | Spotted Beebalm Monarda punctata |
| Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata | Trumpet honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens |
| Turtlehead Chelone glabra | Virginia Rose Rosa virginiana |
| White Woodland Aster Eurybia divaricata | Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa |
| Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis | Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum |
| Wild Indigo Baptisia tinctoria | Woodland Sunflower Helianthus divaricatus |
| Wild strawberry Fragaria virginiana | |
*native to Northeast but non-native to Massachusetts
Grasses Native to New England
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Little Bluestem -
Sideoats Grama © Patrick J. Alexander, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database -
Prairie Dropseed © J.S. Peterson hosted by the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
| Grasses Native to New England | |
|---|---|
| Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium | Pennsylvania Sedge Carex pensylvanica |
| Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis | Sideoats Grama Bouteloua curtipendula |
| Switchgrass Panicum virgatum | Tufted Hairgrass Deschampsia cespitosa |
| Wavy Hairgrass Deschampsia flexuosa | |
Shrubs & Small Trees Native to New England
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Buttonbush © Remy Secora Pearl -
Mapleleaf Viburnum -
Winterberry Holly
| Shrubs & Small Trees Native to New England | |
|---|---|
| American Hazelnut | Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis |
| Chokeberries Aronia spp. | Dogwoods (Gray, Silky, Red-twig, Pagoda, Flowering) |
| Inkberry | Redbud |
| Spicebush | Swamp Azalea Rhododendron viscosum |
| Sweet Pepperbush Clethra alnifolia | Viburnums (several native options) |
| Winterberry Holly Ilex verticillata | |
Plants Fruit-Eating Birds Love
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Pokeweed © Heidi Besen -
Virginia Creeper © Joan Lacey -
Holly
| Plants Fruit-Eating Birds Love | |
|---|---|
| American Holly (winter) | Black Cherry (late summer) |
| Black Tupelo | Crabapples (e.g. Malus x Zumi) fruits in winter, flowers attract spring migrants |
| Dogwoods (4 native species) | Mulberry (summer) |
| Pokeweed (late summer/fall) | Viburnums (summer; 3-4 native species) |
| Virginia Creeper (late summer/fall) | Winterberry & Inkberry hollies (winter) |
Plants Seed-Eating Birds Love
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American Hazelnut -
Pitch Pine © Jerry Gladstone -
Asters © Kristina England
| Plants Seed-Eating Birds Love | |
|---|---|
| Oak, Beech, American Hazelnut | Asters & Goldenrods |
| Birches | Conifers |
| Evening primrose | Native grasses (various) |
Plants Hummingbirds Love
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Beebalm -
Cardinal Flower © Diane Lomba -
Wild Columbine © Ann Marie Lally
| Plants Hummingbirds Love | |
|---|---|
| Beebalms, Monarda didyma (and other Monarda spp.) | Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis |
| Giant Hyssop, Agastache foeniculum | Trumpet honeysuckle, Lonicera sempirvirens |
| Wild Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis | |
Important Butterfly Larval Host Plants
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American Lady on Milkweed -
Blueberry -
Yarrow
| Important Butterfly Larval Host Plants | |
|---|---|
| Blueberry | Cherry/Plum |
| Elm | Grasses especially Little Bluestem |
| Milkweeds (4 species) | Oak |
| Parsley family (Parsley, Carrots, Yarrow, Dill, etc.) | Sassafras |
| Willow | |
Pollinator-Friendly Gardens Should Feature:
1. Host & Nectar Plants
While bees and butterflies feed on the nectar of native flowers, providing food for them is only the first step. Caterpillars and larvae feed on leaves, and many rely on a narrow range of plants that they’re uniquely adapted to feeding on ("host plants"). Host plants can include shrubs and large trees like viburnums or oaks—in addition to perennials that also serve as nectar plants, like milkweeds and asters.
2. Nesting & Overwintering Habitat
Small, exposed patches of sand and mud are great for pollinators. Some ground-nesting insects like harmless digger bees and sweat bees will use them as breeding habitat, and butterflies like to gather on wet mud to lap up water and minerals.
Because some beneficial insects spend the winter as larvae or eggs inside plant stems or under the leaf litter, it's best to hold off on raking and cutting back stems in the fall. Postponing these activities until 2+ weeks after the last spring frost will give these insects a chance to come back for another year!
3. Caution with Yard Chemicals
Using insecticides in or near a pollinator garden can erase the benefit of native landscaping in the first place. Weigh the ecological risks and benefits of any yard fertilizers or herbicides carefully, or avoid them if you're not sure.
Support Native Plants with Mass Audubon
Native plants play a vital role in creating healthy habitats for wildlife, enhancing biodiversity, and supporting ecosystems. Ready to take the next step? Explore Mass Audubon’s resources to learn more about the flora found in Massachusetts.
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