Native Plants of North Dakota

American plum

Prunus americana

Provides vital support to local ecosystems, attracting pollinators with its spring blossoms and offering essential food and shelter to wildlife. The canopy provides cover for nesting birds and the fruits are fed on by mammals such as red and gray foxes.

American vetch

Vicia americana

Blacksamson echinacea

Echinacea angustifolia

Supports Wavy-lined Emerald (Synchlora aerata) larvae. Native bees and butterflies are attracted to the nectar in the flowers.

Blue giant hyssop

Agastache foeniculum

Blue grama

Bouteloua gracilis

Important soil binder, helps prevent erosion. Host plant for several species of skipper butterflies.

Broadbeard beardtongue

Penstemon angustifolius

Aids in erosion control.

Canada wildrye

Elymus canadensis

Valuable grass species that can help to stabilize soil, provide wildlife habitat and enhance the beauty of a variety of landscapes. It also provides nesting, brood, winter, and escape cover.

Canadian anemone

Anemone canadensis

Provides habitat and food for various wildlife species. Eaten by deer and pronghorn.

Candle anemone

Anemone cylindrica

Provides pollen for small bees and hoverflies.

Common milkweed

Asclepias syriaca

Larval host plant for monarch butterflies. Provides nectar for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.

Cup plant

Silphium perfoliatum

Important pollen and nectar source for several species of bees, flies and butterflies. Birds commonly perch on the plant and eat its seeds.

Dotted blazing star

Liatris punctata

Pollinator magnet, attracting butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects, while providing a vital late-season nectar source for migrating monarchs. Serves as food for various herbivores.

Eastern pasqueflower

Anemone patens

Provides an early-spring pollen source for pollinators.

Flodman's thistle

Cirsium flodmanii

Provides resources for pollinators, and their seeds are nutritious wildlife food.

Fragrant sumac

Rhus aromatica

High ecological importance for wildlife through the interconnected food web. 98 species of migrating and overwintering birds rely on the fruit. It serves as a host plant for 54 species of caterpillars and its blooms support native pollinators and attract predatory insects that help control pests.

Green comet milkweed

Asclepias viridiflora

Larval host for monarch butterflies. Nectar from this plant attracts bumblebees.

Groundplum milkvetch

Astragalus crassicarpus

Nitrogen-fixing legume, contributes to soil nitrogen. Host plant for butterflies.

Hoary verbena

Verbena stricta

Lanceleaf figwort

Scrophularia lanceolata

Host plant for the caterpillars of many Checkerspot butterflies. Nectar-rich native perennial draws in native bees, honeybees, butterflies, and even hummingbirds.

Large beardtongue

Penstemon grandiflorus

Provides food for a number of pollinators, including bumblebees who crawl into the tubular flowers. Great nectar source for both hummingbirds and native bumblebees.

Leadplant

Amorpha canescens

Nitrogen-fixing legume, improves soil health. Valuable pollinator conservation species.

Lewis flax

Linum lewisii

Supports pollinators including bees (for nectar) and muscoid flies (for pollen), while its seeds provide food for deer mice and other small mammals.

Little bluestem

Schizachyrium scoparium

Important food source for a number of species of caterpillars, butterflies, birds, and small mammals. From cattle and bison to elk, many animals rely on this grass for forage.

Maximilian sunflower

Helianthus maximiliani

Provides high quality forage for livestock, and food and cover for wildlife. Larval host plant that supports Silvery Checkerspot butterflies.

Missouri goldenrod

Solidago missouriensis

Plays a crucial role in supporting biodiversity. Its flowers provide a vital source of nectar and pollen for pollinators.

novae-angliae

Symphyotrichum

Plains coreopsis

Coreopsis tinctoria

Provides pollen and nectar to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Prairie dropseed

Sporobolus heterolepis

Provides seed for birds and other animals to feed on throughout the winter. Its dense mounds offer cover for insects and small animals. Its deep, dense roots help stabilize soil, thus reducing erosion.

Prairie ironweed

Vernonia fasciculata

Prairie Junegrass

Koeleria macrantha

Provides important habitat for various wildlife, including ground-nesting birds. The seeds are a food source for birds and small mammals.

Prairie rose

Rosa arkansana

Important food source for birds and other wildlife.

Prairie sunflower

Helianthus petiolaris

Provides habitat for wildlife species seeking protective cover during all seasons. Seeds are valuable food sources for many wildlife species and their young leaves and flower buds/blossoms are quality forage.

Purple prairie clover

Dalea purpurea

Nitrogen-fixing legume. Source of protein for mammalian herbivores, pollinator nectar source, food plant to larvae of the Dogface Sulphur (Colias cesonia).

Rocky Mountain beeplant

Peritoma serrulata

Important food source for Native Americans in the Southwest. Good source of calcium and vitamin A.

Rocky Mountain blazing star

Liatris ligulistylis

Provides nectar for native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, while its small, hairy-fruited cypselae serve as food for birds.

Shortbeak sedge

Carex brevior

Host plant for certain moth and butterfly species. Improves soil and water quality and prevents erosion.

Showy milkweed

Asclepias speciosa

Host plant for monarch butterflies. Supports a variety of pollinators including bees and hummingbirds.

Silver buffaloberry

Shepherdia argentea

Provides ideal cover and nesting sites for many birds. It is a preferred food source of many songbirds and sharp-tailed grouse.

Smooth blue aster

Symphyotrichum laeve

Smooth oxeye

Heliopsis helianthoides

Supports pollinators by providing nectar and pollen throughout its long bloom period. Its seeds offer a valuable food source for birds.

Stiff goldenrod

Solidago rigida

Pollen rich flowers play a key ecological role in providing a late season food source for native bees to prepare them for a long winter. Its deep, fibrous roots help prevent erosion and improve soil structure, especially in degraded or disturbed areas.

Stiff sunflower

Helianthus pauciflorus

Provides habitat for wildlife species seeking protective cover during all seasons. Produces nectar and pollen that attract and sustain pollinators.

Upright prairie coneflower

Ratibida columnifera

Nectar for butterflies and bees. Critical resource for pollinators, helping to sustain local ecosystems.

Virginia mountainmint

Pycnanthemum virginianum

Valued nectar source for pollinators, including native bees and wasps, as well as beneficial insects.

Wavyleaf thistle

Cirsium undulatum

Provides nectar for pollinators and seeds for wildlife.

White heath aster

Symphyotrichum ericoides

White penstemon

Penstemon albidus

Provides nectar and pollen for native bees and bumblebees. Larval host for some butterfly species.

White prairie clover

Dalea candida

Native legume, high in protein and palatable to livestock. Provides nectar and pollen for bees.

Whorled milkweed

Asclepias verticillata

Host plant for Monarch Butterfly larvae. Attracts a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Wild bergamot

Monarda fistulosa

Highly valued for its role in supporting pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Its flowers, seeds, and shoots provide forage and habitat for many species.