Quick answer: 124 native plants for pollinators are native to Rhode Island, 104 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
124 species
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American beech Fagus grandifolia · 31 states
- American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum · 34 states
- American cranberry Vaccinium macrocarpon · 15 states
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American mountain ash Sorbus americana · 18 states
- Beach plum Prunus maritima · 8 states
- Bear oak Quercus ilicifolia · 13 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Bigtooth aspen Populus grandidentata · 20 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 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
- Blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum · 32 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Canadian burnet Sanguisorba canadensis · 20 states
- Canadian serviceberry Amelanchier canadensis · 21 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 30 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii · 23 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creeping phlox Phlox subulata · 23 states
- Creeping snowberry Gaultheria hispidula · 12 states
- Crimson-eyed rose-mallow Hibiscus moscheutos · 28 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 27 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Dense blazing star Liatris spicata · 24 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 32 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis · 25 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Fire pink Silene virginica · 26 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 37 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Gray birch Betula populifolia · 17 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Great laurel Rhododendron maximum · 20 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Hairy beardtongue Penstemon hirsutus · 19 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Heart-leaved meadow parsnip Zizia aptera · 30 states
- Heartleaf foamflower Tiarella cordifolia · 18 states
- Hobblebush Viburnum lantanoides · 17 states
- Inkberry Ilex glabra · 14 states
- Jacob's ladder Polemonium reptans · 31 states
- King of the meadow Thalictrum pubescens · 21 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Low prickly pear Opuntia humifusa · 31 states
- Lowbush blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium · 22 states
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa · 26 states
- Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia · 23 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 25 states
- New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · 29 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- New York ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis · 18 states
- Northern bayberry Morella pensylvanica · 2 states
- Northern blue flag Iris versicolor · 10 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Pagoda dogwood Cornus alternifolia · 30 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 28 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Pin cherry Prunus pensylvanica · 20 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Pitch pine Pinus rigida · 12 states
- Plumleaf azalea Rhododendron prunifolium · 3 states
- Post oak Quercus stellata · 28 states
- Purple clematis Clematis occidentalis var. occidentalis · 15 states
- Purple milkweed Asclepias purpurascens · 20 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- Red pine Pinus resinosa · 13 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Scarlet beebalm Monarda didyma · 25 states
- Seaside goldenrod Solidago sempervirens · 13 states
- Sheep laurel Kalmia angustifolia · 13 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 33 states
- Slippery elm Ulmus rubra · 30 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Staghorn sumac Rhus typhina · 28 states
- Steeplebush Spiraea tomentosa · 22 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 34 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 28 states
- Swamp rose Rosa palustris · 27 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Sweet birch Betula lenta · 21 states
- Sweet-fern Comptonia peregrina · 21 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Tamarack Larix laricina · 17 states
- Trailing arbutus Epigaea repens · 24 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera · 27 states
- Virgin's bower Clematis virginiana · 27 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia spiderwort Tradescantia virginiana · 24 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
- Willow oak Quercus phellos · 23 states
- Winged sumac Rhus copallinum · 30 states
- Wood lily Lilium philadelphicum · 28 states
Native plants for pollinators in Rhode Island: what to know
124 of the 181 plants native to Rhode Island in this directory fit this need: 69% of the state's list, below the 72% 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 birds, 82 are also shade-tolerant, 67 are also drought-tolerant.
89 of them grow in full or partial sun and 82 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 beech. For wildlife, 124 support pollinators, 89 provide food or cover for birds and 66 are caterpillar host plants.
104 of the 124 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow, Creeping phlox: 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