Quick answer: 173 native plants for birds are native to Arkansas, 146 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
173 species
- Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa · 21 states
- Allegheny chinquapin Castanea pumila · 21 states
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American beautyberry Callicarpa americana · 13 states
- American beech Fagus grandifolia · 31 states
- American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum · 34 states
- American bittersweet Celastrus scandens · 33 states
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American hazelnut Corylus americana · 34 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 states
- Bald cypress Taxodium distichum · 16 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis · 28 states
- Black ash Fraxinus nigra · 19 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black huckleberry Gaylussacia baccata · 25 states
- Black oak Quercus velutina · 30 states
- Black tupelo Nyssa sylvatica · 31 states
- Black walnut Juglans nigra · 33 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium · 12 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 39 states
- Brown-eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba · 21 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Carolina jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens · 10 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea · 32 states
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 27 states
- Cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli · 25 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 37 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 30 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Common persimmon Diospyros virginiana · 26 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Compass plant Silphium laciniatum · 20 states
- Coral bean Erythrina herbacea · 10 states
- Coral honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens · 16 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Crimson-eyed rose-mallow Hibiscus moscheutos · 28 states
- Crossvine Bignonia capreolata · 16 states
- Cucumbertree Magnolia acuminata · 19 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 27 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Deerberry Vaccinium stamineum · 22 states
- Dense blazing star Liatris spicata · 24 states
- Devil's walking stick Aralia spinosa · 21 states
- Dotted blazing star Liatris punctata · 17 states
- Downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis · 24 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Dwarf crested iris Iris cristata · 17 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern hop-hornbeam Ostrya virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 24 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern wahoo Euonymus atropurpureus · 23 states
- Eastern white pine Pinus strobus · 28 states
- Farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum · 16 states
- Fewleaf sunflower Helianthus occidentalis · 16 states
- Fire pink Silene virginica · 26 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 26 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum · 25 states
- Hollow Joe-pye weed Eutrochium fistulosum · 24 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Inland sea oats Chasmanthium latifolium · 21 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus · 26 states
- Leavenworth's eryngo Eryngium leavenworthii · 1 states
- Lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora · 10 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Maximilian sunflower Helianthus maximiliani · 3 states
- Mayhaw Crataegus opaca · 6 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Mexican plum Prunus mexicana · 10 states
- Mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa · 26 states
- Mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens · 14 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra · 20 states
- Ozark witch-hazel Hamamelis vernalis · 1 states
- Pagoda dogwood Cornus alternifolia · 30 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Pignut hickory Carya glabra · 31 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Pink evening primrose Oenothera speciosa · 8 states
- Plains coreopsis Coreopsis tinctoria · 16 states
- Possumhaw Ilex decidua · 17 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata · 25 states
- Prairie rosinweed (prairie dock) Silphium terebinthinaceum · 4 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red buckeye Aesculus pavia · 15 states
- Red chokeberry Aronia arbutifolia · 22 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii · 11 states
- Roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata · 30 states
- Royal catchfly Silene regia · 1 states
- Rusty blackhaw viburnum Viburnum rufidulum · 18 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Shingle oak Quercus imbricaria · 18 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 28 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Shumard oak Quercus shumardii · 22 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Slippery elm Ulmus rubra · 30 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Smooth alder Alnus serrulata · 23 states
- Smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides · 30 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Southern crabapple Malus angustifolia · 14 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Steeplebush Spiraea tomentosa · 22 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 34 states
- Swamp azalea Rhododendron viscosum · 15 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Swamp rose Rosa palustris · 27 states
- Swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius · 21 states
- Swamp white oak Quercus bicolor · 23 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Sweet crabapple Malus coronaria · 20 states
- Sweetbay magnolia Magnolia virginiana · 17 states
- Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua · 26 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Tall blazing star Liatris aspera · 26 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera · 27 states
- Virgin's bower Clematis virginiana · 27 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia iris Iris virginica · 26 states
- Virginia pine Pinus virginiana · 20 states
- Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica · 19 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White fringetree Chionanthus virginicus · 21 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White snakeroot Ageratina altissima · 23 states
- White turtlehead Chelone glabra · 22 states
- Willow oak Quercus phellos · 23 states
- Winged sumac Rhus copallinum · 30 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
- Wood lily Lilium philadelphicum · 28 states
- Woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica · 16 states
- Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria · 11 states
Native plants for birds in Arkansas: what to know
173 of the 278 plants native to Arkansas in this directory fit this need: 62% of the state's list, well above the 52% share across all species.
Between them they flower from January through December, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 138 are also good for pollinators, 109 are also shade-tolerant, 98 are also drought-tolerant.
124 of them grow in full or partial sun and 109 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Black-eyed Susan to trees such as Allegheny chinquapin and American basswood. For wildlife, 138 support pollinators, 173 provide food or cover for birds and 69 are caterpillar host plants.
146 of the 173 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Crimson-eyed rose-mallow, Crossvine: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun