Quick answer: 60 deer-resistant native plants are native to Nebraska, 55 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
60 species
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata · 14 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Blue wild indigo Baptisia australis · 23 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Common gaillardia (blanketflower) Gaillardia aristata · 11 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creeping juniper Juniperus horizontalis · 12 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 32 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 26 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Large penstemon (shell-leaf beardtongue) Penstemon grandiflorus · 12 states
- Leadplant Amorpha canescens · 16 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 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
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Narrow-leaf coneflower Echinacea angustifolia · 11 states
- Northern maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum · 37 states
- Pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida · 17 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis · 19 states
- Prairie goldenrod Solidago nemoralis · 7 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Prairie tickseed Coreopsis palmata · 10 states
- Rattlesnake master Eryngium yuccifolium · 20 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis · 11 states
- Rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa · 17 states
- Scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea · 12 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 28 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Virginia iris Iris virginica · 26 states
- Virginia mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum · 27 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba · 23 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 states
Deer-resistant native plants in Nebraska: what to know
60 of the 162 plants native to Nebraska in this directory fit this need: 37% of the state's list, well above the 28% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through December, with the most in bloom in July. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 51 are also good for pollinators, 37 are also drought-tolerant, 30 are also good for birds.
53 of them grow in full or partial sun and 19 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Bloodroot to trees such as Common juniper and Eastern red cedar. For wildlife, 51 support pollinators, 30 provide food or cover for birds and 17 are caterpillar host plants.
55 of the 60 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow, Indiangrass: 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
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Aug-Nov