20 Perennial Flowers for Pollinators That Keep Bees and Butterflies Feeding from Spring to Frost

Honey bees visit only about 42% of the flowering plants available to them each week, moving through successive waves of spring bloomers, summer perennials, and fall asters as each resource peaks and fades [8]. A single showpiece plant — however beautiful — leaves gaps that pollinators go hungry to fill. The 20 perennials below were chosen to overlap across the whole season, from the first columbines in March to goldenrod and aster in October.

Why Perennials Outperform Annuals for Wildlife

Perennials return each year with root systems that grow larger and more productive over time. A three-year-old coneflower produces significantly more pollen than a first-year annual in the same spot — and it does it without you lifting a finger. They also offer something annuals can’t: dead stems left standing through winter provide nesting sites for cavity-nesting native bees, which make up a large share of our wild bee diversity. Leaving echinacea and monarda stems at 12–24 inches through winter rather than cutting them to the ground keeps those nesting channels intact [7].

If you’re starting from scratch, our pollinator garden guide covers design principles, plant spacing, and habitat features beyond flowers.

The Shape Rule: Which Flowers Fit Which Pollinators

Flower shape determines who can actually reach the reward. Open disk flowers — yarrow, coneflower, black-eyed Susan — place nectar and pollen at the surface where short-tongued bees and butterflies can feed without specialized anatomy [7][9]. Tubular flowers — bee balm, catmint, salvia — are accessible mainly to long-tongued bumblebees, hummingbirds, and certain specialist native bee species [9]. Broad, flat-topped clusters — Joe Pye weed, goldenrod, aster — attract a wide mix including smaller native bees and hover flies. Planting all three types gives you the broadest possible reach across pollinator species.

Spring Picks (March–June)

Spring arrives with fewer choices, which is why these first five matter most. Native bees emerge from overwintering before annuals are even in stock at the garden center — and early nectar shortfalls can set back a colony for the entire season.

1. Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) — Zones 3a–8b. Spurred flowers open March to May and serve ruby-throated hummingbirds and bumblebees simultaneously [10]. The spurs store nectar deep enough that only long-tongued visitors can reach it, making columbine one of the few spring plants with a built-in specialist pollinator filter. Self-seeds freely; tolerates partial shade under deciduous trees where little else blooms this early.

2. Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis) — Zones 3–9. White tubular flowers from May into June draw native bees and hummingbirds. Drought-tolerant once established. Leave old stems standing 12–24 inches through winter — pithy interiors are prime nesting habitat for stem-boring native bees. Our penstemon pruning guide explains exactly when and how to cut back without losing next year’s bloom.

3. Salvia (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’) — Zones 4–9. Dark purple-black stems with violet spikes run May to July and are heavily worked by long-tongued bumblebees and mining bees. Cut plants hard to 3–4 inches above the basal crown in mid-July and a full second flush arrives by late August, effectively bridging late spring into the fall calendar. See our salvia growing guide for the full care routine.

4. Catmint (Nepeta × faassenii) — Zones 5a–9b. Among the heaviest nectar producers for its size. Blooms from late May through frost if cut back to 6 inches after the first June flush. It tolerates dry soil and drought once established, and established plants draw bumblebees, honeybees, and smaller solitary bees within minutes of warm weather [16]. Full details in our catmint growing guide.

5. Speedwell (Veronica spicata) — Zones 3a–8b. Each spike opens bottom to top over several weeks, delivering fresh nectar each day throughout the bloom window rather than all at once. Attracts honeybees, garden bumblebees, buff-tailed bumblebees, tree bumblebees, and solitary bees. Shear back to the basal rosette by late July in zones 6–8 for a reliable fall rebloom flush.

Summer Picks (June–August)

Summer is when most pollinator gardens hit their stride. These eight plants carry the bulk of the season’s feeding and include the two most valuable dual-purpose perennials — one nectar source and one monarch host plant.

6. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) — Zones 3a–8b. Blooms June to August with an open disk form that gives short-tongued bees and butterflies easy access to pollen and nectar [1]. Host plant for Silvery Checkerspot caterpillars, with two broods running May through September. Leaving seed heads standing feeds goldfinches through winter and the hollow stems shelter cavity-nesting bees.

7. Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) — Zones 3a–9b. Blooms June to September with pompom-like clusters of tubular flowers. Three specialist native bee species — Dufourea monardae, Perdita gerhardi, and Protandrena abdominalis — visit almost exclusively this genus of mint [5]. Ruby-throated hummingbirds work it alongside the bees. More resistant to powdery mildew than Monarda didyma, which matters in humid gardens.

8. Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) — Zones 3–9. The only perennial on this list that is both a primary nectar source and the sole larval host plant for monarch butterflies [6]. Adult monarchs lay eggs exclusively on milkweed; the caterpillars store cardenolides from the plant tissue that make them toxic to predators. Bright orange flowers bloom June to September. Prefers dry to medium, well-drained soil — wet clay is the main cause of failure. Full details at our butterfly milkweed growing guide.

9. Lavender (Lavandula) — Zones 5a–9b. The dominant scent compounds at peak bloom — linalool and linalyl acetate — are particularly attractive to bumblebees and honeybees, which consistently make up the bulk of pollinator traffic on lavender. Fragrance peaks during active bloom, so cut spent spikes to encourage continuous flowering. ‘Hidcote Blue’ (zones 5–8) and ‘Phenomenal’ (lavandin hybrid, zones 5–9) are the most reliably winter-hardy options. More variety detail in our lavender varieties guide.

10. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) — Zones 3a–9b. Flat corymb flower heads from June to September function as a landing pad accessible to short-tongued bees, butterflies, and predatory beneficial insects [13]. One of the most drought-tolerant perennials on this list — once established, it survives on rainfall alone in most climates. Cut spent stems to the base to encourage continuous bloom and prevent aggressive self-seeding.

11. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) — Zones 3a–9b. Blooms August to October, bridging summer into fall with bright yellow daisy flowers that serve as host plant for Silvery Checkerspot butterflies [12]. Spreads steadily via underground rhizomes, filling in gaps without any intervention. Leave seed heads standing — goldfinches and sparrows depend on them through winter.

12. Blazing Star (Liatris spicata) — Zones 3a–8b. Blooms mid-summer to early fall. The flower spikes open top to bottom — the opposite of most spikes — which means monarchs, swallowtails, and painted ladies working the upper portion get the freshest nectar first [2]. Bumblebees and native bees follow lower on the spike as flowers open downward over two to three weeks.

13. Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum) — Zones 3a–8b. Blooms July to October with dusky-pink clusters 4–7 feet tall that draw eastern tiger swallowtails, eastern black swallowtails, honeybees, and moths [15]. The sheer height and late bloom season make it one of the few perennials that can sustain large butterflies when smaller flowers have finished. Prefers moist to average soil. More details at our Joe Pye weed profile.

Fall Picks (August–October)

Late-season perennials are the most overlooked category in pollinator planting — and the most important. Migrating monarchs need nectar to fuel the journey to Mexico. Bumblebee colonies send out new queens in September and October who must eat heavily before overwintering. Getting this window right can make or break your garden’s contribution to pollinator populations.

14. Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) — Zones 4a–8b. Blooms late July through late autumn with dense purple spikes and a licorice scent that bees find difficult to ignore [11]. Named a key plant for the Great Southeast Pollinator Census in 2025. Self-seeds readily, so one established plant gradually forms a colony. Deer and rabbit resistant — a meaningful advantage in suburban gardens.

15. Russian Sage (Salvia yangii) — Zones 4–9. Blooms July to October with airy silver-blue stems that attract bees and extend the garden’s color into fall. Fragrant aromatic foliage adds a second layer of bee attraction beyond the flowers. Cut to 6–12 inches in early spring — it blooms on new growth. Well-drained or lean soil is essential. Advice for managing older plants in our Russian sage pruning guide.

16. Coreopsis (Tickseed) — Zones 3–9. Bright yellow daisy flowers run from June through the first frost if deadheaded regularly. Shearing plants by one-third in mid-July produces a denser flush of smaller flowers — more landing surfaces for bees and small butterflies than leaving the plants to their own schedule. Full growing detail in our coreopsis growing guide.

17. Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) — Zones 3–8. One of the season’s workhorses, blooming July through October with daisy-form flowers in warm bronze, red, and gold tones. The open disk center is accessible to short-tongued bees and monarch butterflies making their fall migration push. Named “sneezeweed” because its foliage was historically dried and used as snuff — not because it triggers hay fever.

18. Stonecrop (Hylotelephium telephium ‘Autumn Joy’) — Zones 3a–9b. Opens in August as a pale pink dome and deepens to copper-rose by October, attracting bees and butterflies across eight weeks of bloom [14]. Drought-tolerant, requiring only well-drained soil in full sun. The flat dome form makes it an accessible landing pad for late-season queen bumblebees building fat reserves before hibernation.

19. New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) — Zones 4a–8b. No late-season perennial punches above its weight like New England aster. Seven specialist native bee species — including Andrena asteris, A. asteroides, A. hirticincta, and Colletes simulans — depend heavily or exclusively on aster pollen [3]. Monarch butterflies feed at asters during fall migration. Pearl Crescent butterfly caterpillars use it as a host plant. That’s three distinct pollinator roles in one plant.

20. Goldenrod (Solidago) — Zones 4a–8b. Goldenrod is falsely blamed for hay fever (the real culprit is ragweed, which blooms at the same time with wind-dispersed pollen). Honey bee research shows goldenrod dominates fall pollen collection alongside asters, with specialist bee genera Andrena, Melissodes fumosus, Perdita octomaculata, and Colletes relying on it heavily [4][8]. Peak bloom in September, with seeds that carry birds through winter.

Building a Spring-to-Frost Sequence

Plant at least one species from each of the three seasonal sections above. Spring picks carry the garden from March to June; summer picks hand off through August; fall picks carry pollinators to the last warm days. Aim for overlapping bloom windows rather than a single peak — the goal is to never have a gap where the whole garden goes quiet.

Choose open-disk types (yarrow, coneflower, aster) if bees and butterflies are your priority. Add at least one tubular plant (bee balm, catmint) to support specialist bees and hummingbirds. And include at least one host plant — butterfly weed for monarchs, New England aster for pearl crescents — so your garden feeds pollinators at every life stage, not just the adults.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do double-flowered cultivars work as well for pollinators?

Often not. Breeders selecting for extra petals frequently redirect pollen-producing parts into decorative petals, reducing or eliminating the pollen load. Some cultivars also have reduced nectar. Wild-type or species forms — straight Echinacea purpurea rather than a heavily ruffled hybrid — consistently support more pollinators per flower [7]. If you prefer a cultivar, look for open-centered forms where the disk is still accessible.

How many plants do I need to make a meaningful difference?

Research on pollinator habitat consistently recommends planting in masses rather than specimens — three to five plants of the same species in a clump, rather than one each of fifteen species. A tight cluster of catmint or coneflower is easier for a bee to locate from a distance and more worth the foraging trip than scattered single plants. Even a 4-by-8-foot bed planted in groups of three can provide meaningful habitat if it’s in bloom for several consecutive months.

Sources

• [1] North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. “Echinacea purpurea.” NC State University.
• [2] North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. “Liatris spicata.” NC State University.
• [3] North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. “Symphyotrichum novae-angliae.” NC State University.
• [4] North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. “Solidago rugosa.” NC State University.
• [5] North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. “Monarda fistulosa.” NC State University.
• [6] Penn State Extension. “Monarchs and Milkweed.”
• [7] Ohio State University Extension. “Attracting Pollinators to the Garden.” Ohioline Factsheet ENT-47.
• [8] PMC. “Pollen-foraging preferences of honey bee colonies based on plant bloom timing in an urbanized Northeast U.S. habitat.” 2025.
• [9] New Mexico State University Extension. “Perennial Plants for Pollinators in New Mexico.” H182.
• [10] North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. “Aquilegia canadensis.” NC State University.
• [11] North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. “Agastache foeniculum.” NC State University.
• [12] North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. “Rudbeckia fulgida.” NC State University.
• [13] North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. “Achillea millefolium.” NC State University.
• [14] North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. “Hylotelephium telephium.” NC State University.
• [15] North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. “Eutrochium maculatum.” NC State University.
• [16] Proven Winners. “Top Perennials for Bees and Pollinators.”