Native Plants for Birds

 

Top 10
Native Plants for Maryland

While this list is not complete, it is a good start for making your backyard bird-friendly. These plants are workhorses for getting the insects needed to attract birds such as hummingbirds, titmice, cardinals, vireos, and sparrows, just to name a few. Enjoy watching butterflies flutter about. For a more detailed list, visit Audubon's Native Plant Database where you can tailor the list according to your location and backyard needs.

1. Allegheny Service-Berry

2. Black-Eyed-Susan

3. Butterfly Milkweed

4. Flowering Dogwood

5. Highbush Blueberry

6. Red Columbine

7. Redbud

8. Common Yarrow

9. New England Aster

10. White Turtlehead

 

Garden Planning Made Simple

Need some design inspiration for your native plant garden? Check out these three DIY garden templates from Audubon Mid-Atlantic that cover a variety of light, soil, and moisture conditions.

Each design shows three plans that you can tailor based on your available space and resources, and tells you what to put where.

The templates make it simple to choose the design that best suits your space, share it with your local garden center or landscaper, and get exactly what you're looking for to roll out the welcome mat for birds and pollinators. 

Certify Your Bird-Friendly Habitat

Whether you have a backyard or a balcony, a rooftop deck or a window box, or even an entire community park, you can gain the knowledge and tools needed to plan your own wildlife sanctuary - AND brag to your neighbors!

Check out the tips from Patterson Park Audubon Center in Baltimore about how you can transform outdoor spaces into habitats that can be enjoyed by people and birds alike. Then apply to earn your very own Audubon Bird-Friendly Habitat recognition sign!

Learn more about the program and how you can earn your sign.

Additional Resources

Books

  • The Humane Gardener - Nancy Lawson

  • The Living Landscape: designing for beauty and diversity in the home garden - Darke and Tallamy

  • Bringing Nature Home - Doug Tallamy

  • Seasons of Heron Pond: Wildings of Air, Earth and Water - Mary Leister

  • Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping, Chesapeake Bay Watershed - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Online Version)

Websites