Quick answer: 30 deer-resistant native plants are native to Maine, 26 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
30 species
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Bog laurel Kalmia polifolia · 13 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides · 34 states
- Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea · 32 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Eastern hay-scented fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula · 25 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Hairy beardtongue Penstemon hirsutus · 19 states
- Interrupted fern Osmunda claytoniana · 29 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia · 23 states
- Northern maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum · 37 states
- Ostrich fern Matteuccia struthiopteris · 13 states
- Red spruce Picea rubens · 15 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Scarlet beebalm Monarda didyma · 25 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Sheep laurel Kalmia angustifolia · 13 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 28 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Virginia chain fern Woodwardia virginica · 24 states
Deer-resistant native plants in Maine: what to know
30 of the 125 plants native to Maine in this directory fit this need: 24% of the state's list, below the 28% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through November, with the most in bloom in June. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 23 are also shade-tolerant, 19 are also good for birds, 17 are also good for pollinators.
19 of them grow in full or partial sun and 23 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Bog laurel to trees such as Bearberry and Common juniper. For wildlife, 17 support pollinators, 19 provide food or cover for birds and 7 are caterpillar host plants.
26 of the 30 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow, Hairy beardtongue: 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.
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · Sun · blooms May-Sep