Quick answer: 47 deer-resistant native plants are native to Rhode Island, 43 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
47 species
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Bog laurel Kalmia polifolia · 13 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 30 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 sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 32 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
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Hairy beardtongue Penstemon hirsutus · 19 states
- Heart-leaved meadow parsnip Zizia aptera · 30 states
- Interrupted fern Osmunda claytoniana · 29 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Low prickly pear Opuntia humifusa · 31 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia · 23 states
- New York ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis · 18 states
- Northern bayberry Morella pensylvanica · 2 states
- Northern blue flag Iris versicolor · 10 states
- Northern maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum · 37 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Ostrich fern Matteuccia struthiopteris · 13 states
- Purple milkweed Asclepias purpurascens · 20 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Scarlet beebalm Monarda didyma · 25 states
- Seaside goldenrod Solidago sempervirens · 13 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
- Sweet-fern Comptonia peregrina · 21 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Virginia chain fern Woodwardia virginica · 24 states
Deer-resistant native plants in Rhode Island: what to know
47 of the 181 plants native to Rhode Island in this directory fit this need: 26% of the state's list, close to the 28% 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: 33 are also good for pollinators, 30 are also shade-tolerant, 27 are also good for birds.
32 of them grow in full or partial sun and 30 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 Bearberry and Common juniper. For wildlife, 33 support pollinators, 27 provide food or cover for birds and 15 are caterpillar host plants.
43 of the 47 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
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Aug-Nov