Quick answer: 106 native plants for birds are native to Kansas, 95 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
106 species
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 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 plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 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 oak Quercus velutina · 30 states
- Black tupelo Nyssa sylvatica · 31 states
- Black walnut Juglans nigra · 33 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium · 12 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 39 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
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 27 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 sunflower Helianthus annuus · 18 states
- Compass plant Silphium laciniatum · 20 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Crimson-eyed rose-mallow Hibiscus moscheutos · 28 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
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 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
- Farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum · 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
- Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides · 17 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Inland sea oats Chasmanthium latifolium · 21 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Mexican plum Prunus mexicana · 10 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra · 20 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Pignut hickory Carya glabra · 31 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Possumhaw Ilex decidua · 17 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Prairie cordgrass Spartina pectinata · 25 states
- Prairie goldenrod Solidago nemoralis · 7 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii · 11 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii · 11 states
- Roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata · 30 states
- Rusty blackhaw viburnum Viburnum rufidulum · 18 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 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 oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides · 30 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 34 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Swamp white oak Quercus bicolor · 23 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Tall blazing star Liatris aspera · 26 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia iris Iris virginica · 26 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba · 22 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Winged sumac Rhus copallinum · 30 states
Native plants for birds in Kansas: what to know
106 of the 183 plants native to Kansas in this directory fit this need: 58% of the state's list, 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: 89 are also good for pollinators, 70 are also drought-tolerant, 61 are also shade-tolerant.
87 of them grow in full or partial sun and 61 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 bittersweet. For wildlife, 89 support pollinators, 106 provide food or cover for birds and 48 are caterpillar host plants.
95 of the 106 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Crimson-eyed rose-mallow, Eastern hop-hornbeam: 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