Quick answer: 79 native plants for pollinators are native to Utah, 53 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
79 species
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- Antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata · 12 states
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata · 12 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Brittlebush Encelia farinosa · 4 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- California fuchsia Epilobium canum · 8 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chalk dudleya Dudleya pulverulenta · 4 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Colorado blue columbine Aquilegia coerulea · 9 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common sunflower Helianthus annuus · 18 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Desert sand verbena Abronia villosa · 4 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 37 states
- Gambel oak Quercus gambelii · 8 states
- Garrett's firechalice Zauschneria garrettii · 4 states
- Giant red paintbrush Castilleja miniata · 13 states
- Golden currant Ribes aureum · 3 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Greenleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula · 9 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Littleflower penstemon Penstemon procerus · 11 states
- Mule's ears Wyethia amplexicaulis · 8 states
- Munro's globemallow Sphaeralcea munroana · 9 states
- Narrowleaf milkweed Asclepias fascicularis · 6 states
- Nettleleaf giant hyssop Agastache urticifolia · 9 states
- Oceanspray Holodiscus discolor · 9 states
- Old man's whiskers Geum triflorum · 9 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Purple sage (desert sage) Salvia dorrii · 7 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis · 11 states
- Rocky Mountain penstemon Penstemon strictus · 5 states
- Royal penstemon Penstemon speciosus · 6 states
- Rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa · 17 states
- Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia · 14 states
- Scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata · 13 states
- Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis · 7 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda · 23 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Silvery lupine Lupinus argenteus · 2 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Snowbrush ceanothus Ceanothus velutinus · 10 states
- Sulphur-flower buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum · 10 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Tidy tips Layia platyglossa · 3 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Utah serviceberry Amelanchier utahensis · 5 states
- Utah sweetvetch Hedysarum boreale · 3 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Wasatch penstemon Penstemon cyananthus · 4 states
- Western redbud Cercis occidentalis · 4 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
- Woolly paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina · 7 states
Native plants for pollinators in Utah: what to know
79 of the 104 plants native to Utah in this directory fit this need: 76% of the state's list, 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: 59 are also drought-tolerant, 49 are also good for birds, 40 are also deer-resistant.
70 of them grow in full or partial sun and 24 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Arrowleaf balsamroot and Black-eyed Susan to trees such as American plum and Bearberry. For wildlife, 79 support pollinators, 49 provide food or cover for birds and 25 are caterpillar host plants.
53 of the 79 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow: 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