Quick answer: 130 native plants for pollinators are native to Nebraska, 115 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
130 species
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum · 34 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- Antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata · 12 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
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum · 32 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
- 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
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 30 states
- Common gaillardia (blanketflower) Gaillardia aristata · 11 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 sunflower Helianthus annuus · 18 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 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
- Highbush cranberry Viburnum opulus var. americanum · 22 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 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
- 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
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Michigan lily Lilium michiganense · 16 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 25 states
- Narrow-leaf coneflower Echinacea angustifolia · 11 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra · 20 states
- Pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida · 17 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 28 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 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 tickseed Coreopsis palmata · 10 states
- Purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea · 18 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Rattlesnake master Eryngium yuccifolium · 20 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii · 11 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis · 11 states
- Roughleaf dogwood Cornus drummondii · 11 states
- Rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa · 17 states
- Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia · 14 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 28 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 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
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 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
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum · 27 states
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 30 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides · 26 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 Nebraska: what to know
130 of the 162 plants native to Nebraska 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: 85 are also drought-tolerant, 79 are also good for birds, 60 are also shade-tolerant.
112 of them grow in full or partial sun and 60 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 plum. For wildlife, 130 support pollinators, 79 provide food or cover for birds and 52 are caterpillar host plants.
115 of the 130 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