Quick answer: 157 native plants for pollinators are native to Iowa, 141 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
157 species
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum · 34 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- Arctic brome (Kalm's brome) Bromus kalmii · 15 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis · 28 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black walnut Juglans nigra · 33 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium · 12 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Blue wild indigo Baptisia australis · 23 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 30 states
- Candle anemone (thimbleweed) Anemone cylindrica · 12 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 27 states
- Closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii · 23 states
- Cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli · 25 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 30 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 33 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Common persimmon Diospyros virginiana · 26 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 21 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Compass plant Silphium laciniatum · 20 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum · 32 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 27 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Dotted blazing star Liatris punctata · 17 states
- Downy hawthorn Crataegus mollis · 24 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 32 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 24 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 37 states
- Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata · 29 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Gray dogwood Cornus racemosa · 19 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 26 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Heart-leaved meadow parsnip Zizia aptera · 30 states
- Highbush cranberry Viburnum opulus var. americanum · 22 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Jacob's ladder Polemonium reptans · 31 states
- Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus · 15 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Large penstemon (shell-leaf beardtongue) Penstemon grandiflorus · 12 states
- Leadplant Amorpha canescens · 16 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 19 states
- Low prickly pear Opuntia humifusa · 31 states
- Lowbush blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium · 22 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Michigan lily Lilium michiganense · 16 states
- Mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa · 26 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 25 states
- Narrow-leaf coneflower Echinacea angustifolia · 11 states
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · 29 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern bush honeysuckle Diervilla lonicera · 18 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra · 20 states
- Old man's whiskers Geum triflorum · 9 states
- Ontario blazing star Liatris cylindracea · 8 states
- Pagoda dogwood Cornus alternifolia · 30 states
- Pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida · 17 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 28 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Post oak Quercus stellata · 28 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya · 19 states
- Prairie blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium campestre · 11 states
- Prairie crabapple Malus ioensis · 15 states
- Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis · 19 states
- Prairie goldenrod Solidago nemoralis · 7 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Prairie onion Allium stellatum · 12 states
- Prairie rosinweed (prairie dock) Silphium terebinthinaceum · 4 states
- Prairie tickseed Coreopsis palmata · 10 states
- Purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea · 18 states
- Pussy willow Salix discolor · 18 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Rattlesnake master Eryngium yuccifolium · 20 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- Red pine Pinus resinosa · 13 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii · 11 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Scaly blazing star Liatris squarrosa · 22 states
- Scarlet beebalm Monarda didyma · 25 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 28 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 33 states
- Shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda · 23 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides · 30 states
- Smooth rose Rosa blanda · 17 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Staghorn sumac Rhus typhina · 28 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 34 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 28 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Sweet coneflower Rudbeckia subtomentosa · 11 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
- Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica · 23 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum · 27 states
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 30 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides · 26 states
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba · 22 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White turtlehead Chelone glabra · 22 states
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba · 23 states
- Wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium · 16 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
- Wood lily Lilium philadelphicum · 28 states
Native plants for pollinators in Iowa: what to know
157 of the 196 plants native to Iowa in this directory fit this need: 80% of the state's list, well above the 72% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through December, with the most in bloom in June. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 97 are also good for birds, 97 are also drought-tolerant, 85 are also shade-tolerant.
129 of them grow in full or partial sun and 85 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 American basswood and American hornbeam. For wildlife, 157 support pollinators, 97 provide food or cover for birds and 72 are caterpillar host plants.
141 of the 157 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow, Harebell: 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