Native Pollinator Plants for Bees and Butterflies in Minnesota

Not all pollinator plants are equal. Some flowers get visited by every bee species in the state; others get politely ignored. University of Minnesota Extension and the Xerces Society have spent decades tracking which native plants actually deliver the most forage for native pollinators — and the results consistently point to the same dozen species.

These are the twelve that show up over and over in the research and in our installs.

Why native plants matter for pollinators

Minnesota has over 400 species of native bees — more than the entire eastern half of the United States combined. Many are specialists: they only forage on specific plant families (like squash bees on cucurbits, or sweat bees on goldenrod). Specialists can’t be substituted with European honeybees or generic non-native flowers.

Monarchs are even more specific: female monarchs only lay eggs on milkweed, and caterpillars only eat milkweed. No milkweed = no monarchs.

Planting native is the single biggest thing a Minnesota homeowner can do for pollinator habitat.

The 12 highest-value native pollinator plants

For native bees

1. Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) — Pale lavender flowers July–August. Top draw for bumblebees, native solitary bees, and hummingbird clearwing moths. Tolerates clay.

2. Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) — Lavender flower spikes June–August. Native to Minnesota tallgrass prairie. Bumblebee favorite. Deer-resistant.

3. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) — Pink-purple daisies July–September. Visited by long-tongued and short-tongued bees alike. Drought-tolerant.

4. Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum) — Yellow flowers July–September on towering 6–8 ft stems. Native bees, beneficial wasps, and goldfinches in fall.

For monarchs

5. Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) — Brilliant orange flower clusters July–August. Dry sites. Monarch host and nectar plant.

6. Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) — Pink flower clusters July–August. Moist sites. Monarch host and nectar plant. Tolerates clay.

7. Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) — Pink-purple fragrant flower balls in late June–July. The classic Minnesota roadside milkweed. Spreads aggressively — plant where you have room.

8. Liatris (Liatris ligulistylis) — Magenta-purple spikes August–September. Often documented as the single highest-value monarch nectar plant in the Midwest for fall migration.

For native specialist bees

9. Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) — Bright yellow plumes September–October. Critical late-season nectar for queen bumblebees fattening up for winter and migrating monarchs. Hosts many goldenrod-specialist bees.

10. New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) — Purple daisies September–October. Last major bloom of the Minnesota season. Hosts aster-specialist bees.

For butterflies broadly

11. Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum) — Tall pink flower heads August–September. Magnet for swallowtails, monarchs, and bumblebees. Loves moist clay.

12. Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) — Golden flowers July–September. Visited by a huge range of bees and butterflies. Indifferent to soil.

How to design for maximum pollinator value

Mass plantings

Plant 3–7 of the same species together. Pollinators forage more efficiently when there’s a critical mass of one flower. A garden with one of everything looks scattered to a bee and doesn’t deliver as much nectar per minute of flight.

Layer bloom seasons

Aim for at least one species in flower every two weeks from May through October: - May–June: wild geranium, wild columbine, wild lupine, foxglove beardtongue - June–July: common milkweed, anise hyssop, butterfly milkweed - July–August: purple coneflower, wild bergamot, black-eyed Susan, swamp milkweed - August–September: liatris, Joe Pye weed, cup plant - September–October: showy goldenrod, New England aster, smooth aster

Include native grasses

Native grasses (little bluestem, prairie dropseed, side-oats grama) provide nesting habitat for native bees that nest in stems or at grass bases, and serve as host plants for skipper butterflies.

Leave the stems in winter

Don’t cut back native perennials in fall. Many native solitary bee species overwinter inside hollow stems. Wait until late April to cut back, after the bees have emerged.

Skip pesticides

This includes “natural” sprays. Bt is fatal to butterfly caterpillars. Neonicotinoids are fatal to bees. Spinosad is fatal to bees.

What about non-native pollinator plants?

Catmint, Russian sage, lavender, butterfly bush, and sedum are all great for honeybees and bumblebees. They’re worth growing — but they don’t support native specialist bees or serve as monarch host plants. Use them in addition to natives, not instead.

Some non-native plants (e.g., butterfly bush, common honeysuckle, multiflora rose) are invasive in Minnesota and should be skipped entirely.

FAQ

How many native plants do I need? A 100 sq ft pollinator pocket with 25–40 native plants from this list will host hundreds of pollinator visits per day in peak season. Larger plantings scale up linearly.

Do these qualify for Lawns to Legumes reimbursement? Yes — every plant on this list qualifies. See our Lawns to Legumes 2026 guide.

Will native plants take over my yard? Some spread (common milkweed, cup plant). Most stay clumped (coneflower, liatris, bergamot, asters). Plant aggressive spreaders only where you want them to fill in.

Are these deer-resistant? Most are moderately deer-resistant due to fragrance or texture. Anise hyssop, wild bergamot, milkweed, and goldenrod are essentially never browsed. Coneflower and black-eyed Susan can get nibbled in deer-heavy areas.

Build your pollinator habitat

Browse our native pollinator plant collection. For the design pattern and seasonal layout, see our companion post Best Perennials for Pollinators in Minnesota.