Native Plants for Birds

Top 10 Native Plants for Maryland

While this list is not complete, it is a good start for making your backyard bird-friendly. These plants are workhorses for getting the insects needed to attract birds such as hummingbirds, titmice, cardinals, vireos and sparrows, just to name a few. Enjoy watching butterflies flutter about. For a more detailed list, visit Audubon's Native Plant Database where you can tailor the list according to your location and backyard needs.

1. Allegheny Service-Berry

2. Black-Eyed-Susan

3. Butterfly Milkweed

4. Flowering Dogwood

5. Highbush Blueberry

6. Red Columbine

7. Redbud

8. Common Yarrow

9. New England American-Aster

10. White Turtlehead

References for Native Plant Information

Books

• The Humane Gardener - Nancy Lawson
• The Living Landscape: designing for beauty and diversity in the home garden - Darke and Tallamy
• Bringing Nature Home - Doug Tallamy
• Seasons of Heron Pond: Wildings of Air, Earth and Water - Mary Leister
• Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping, Chesapeake Bay Watershed - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Online Version)

Websites

• Maryland Native Plant Society
• Humane Gardener Blog
• The Humane Backyard