Celebrate Pollinators: A Sample Plant List!

The following list is a companion blog to the “Celebrate Pollinators” blog. The plants listed are only a few of the hundreds of plants that support our native pollinators. The list provides suggestions for nectar plants, as well as some butterfly host plants.

In choosing plants for your pollinators, avoid plants that have been treated with systemic pesticides in the nursery. Ask nursery staff!

Principle #1 in Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ is “Right Plant-Right Place”. If you are not familiar with a particular plant, a little research into its growth habits and needs will save you money and labor!

Explore these and other plants for your “living” landscape, and Happy Gardening!

Nectar Plants:

Perennials, Annuals, Vines, and Shrubs

Key: asterisk indicates a Florida Native Plant, SP indicates blooms in spring, S indicates blooms in summer, F indicates blooms in fall, and W indicates blooms in winter. — Key: asterisk indicates a Florida native plant, SP indicates blooms in spring, S indicates blooms in summer, F indicates blooms in fall, and W indicates blooms in winter.

The following list of flowering nectar plants (separated by flower color) will indicate if they are a Florida native plant and which season they bloom in (spring, summer, fall, and/or winter).

Yellow square with a list of yellow blooming flowers: rosinweed is native blooming in summer and fall, coreopsis is native blooming in summer and fall, Black-eyed Susan is native blooming in spring and summer, goldenrod is native blooming in summer and fall, greeneyes is native blooming in spring and summer, prairie coneflower blooming in summer. A few other yellow flowering plants include sunflower, zinnia, and snapdragon. — List of yellow blooming flowers.

Yellow flowering plants:

Rosinweed is native and blooms in summer and fall
Coreopsis is native and blooms in summer and fall
Black-eyed Susan is native and blooms in spring and summer
Goldenrod is native and blooms in summer and fall
Greeneyes is native and blooms in spring and summer
Prairie coneflower blooms in summer
A few other yellow flowering plants include sunflower, zinnia, and snapdragon

Pink flowering plants:

Georgia calamint is native and blooms in summer
Dotted horsemint is native and blooms in summer and fall
Pink coneflower is native and blooms in summer and fall
Pink penstamon is native and blooms in summer and fall
Pink coccinea sage is native and blooms in spring, summer, and fall
Beautyberry is native and blooms in spring
Other pink flowering plants include pink pentas and whirling butterflies

White square with a list of white blooming flowers: snow squarestem is native and blooms in summer and fall, white false indigo is native and blooms in spring, white heliotrope is native and blooms in spring, summer, and fall, white penstamon is native and blooms in summer, native blueberry blooms in spring, native viburnum species bloom in summer, native Simpson's stopper blooms in spring. A few other white flowering plants include zinnia, sweet allysum, and white pentas. — List of white blooming flowers.

White flowering plants:

Snow squarestem is native and blooms in summer and fall
White false indigo is native and blooms in spring
White heliotrope is native and blooms in spring, summer, and fall
White penstamon is native and blooms in summer
Native blueberry blooms in spring
Native viburnum species bloom in summer
Native Simpson’s stopper blooms in spring
A few other white flowering plants include zinnia, sweet allysum, and white pentas

Purple square with a list of purple blooming flowers: native Aster species bloom in summer and fall, Skullcap species is native and blooms in spring and summer, Stokesia is native and blooms in summer and fall, native porterweed blooms in spring, summer, and fall, verbena is native and blooms in spring and summer, skyblue clustervine is native and blooms in winter. A few other purple and blue flowering plants that are not native include annual and perennial salvias (like the cultivar 'Mystic Spires' and others), anise hyssop, plumbago, and chaste tree. — List of blue/purple/lavender blooming flowers.

Blue, Purple, and Lavender Flowering Plants:

Aster species is native blooms in summer and fall
Skullcap species is native and blooms in spring and summer
Stokesia is native and blooms in summer and fall
Native porterweed blooms in spring, summer, and fall
Verbena is native and blooms in spring and summer
Skyblue clustervine is native and blooms in winter
A few other purple and blue flowering plants include annual and perennial salvias (like the cultivar ‘Mystic Spires’ and others), anise hyssop, plumbago, and chaste tree

Red square with a list of red and orange blooming flowers: Red coccinea sage is native and blooms in spring, summer and fall, firebush is native and blooms in summer and fall, gaillardia is native and blooms in spring, summer, and fall, coral honeysuckle is native and blooms is spring, summer, and fall, Cuphea species bloom in spring, summer, and fall, 'Red Rocket' firecracker blooms in summer and fall. A few other red flowering plants include red pentas, zinnia, and jatropha. — List of red and orange blooming flowers.

Red and Orange Flowering Plants:

Red coccinea sage is native and blooms in spring, summer and fall
Firebush is native and blooms in summer and fall
Gaillardia is native and blooms in spring, summer, and fall
Coral honeysuckle is native and blooms is spring, summer, and fall
Cuphea species bloom in spring, summer, and fall
‘Red Rocket’ firecracker blooms in summer and fall
A few other red flowering plants include red pentas, zinnia, and jatropha

Butterfly Host Plants (and the butterfly species they support):

Native Passionvine species

Supports: Zebra Longwing Butterfly, if planted in shade/semi- shade
Supports: Gulf Fritillary Butterfly, if planted in a sunny area

Native Milkweed species

Recommend native milkweeds vs. tropical milkweed
Supports: Monarch and Queen Butterflies

Native Frogfruit

Can be used as a turf substitute
Supports: White Peacock and Phaon Crescent Butterflies

Senna Species

Supports: Orange Barred Sulfur, Cloudless Sulfur, and Sleepy Orange Butterflies

Native Petunia

Avoid Mexican petunia (Ruellia simplex), listed as an invasive species. See the IFAS Assessment of Non-native Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas.
Supports: Common Buckeye and White Peacock Butterflies

Native Twinflower

Can be used as a turfgrass substitute
Supports: Common Buckeye Butterfly

Herbs: Parsley, Dill, Fennel

Supports: Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Native Pipevine

Select native species
Supports: Pipevine and Polydamus Butterflies

Native Wild Lime, Toothache Tree, Wafer Ash

or Hop Tree (this species is thornless)
Supports: Giant Swallowtail

To learn more:

This article was written by Master Gardener Volunteer Molly Griner under supervision of the Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator and Residential Horticulture Agent Anne Yasalonis.

For more information, contact UF/IFAS Extension Polk County at (863) 519-1041 or visit us online at http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/polk. The Plant Clinic is open Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-4:00 pm to answer your gardening and landscaping questions. Give us a call, or email us at polkmg@ifas.ufl.edu.

If you are not in Polk County, Contact your local UF/IFAS Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Clinic.

The Florida Master Gardener Volunteer Program is a volunteer-driven program that benefits UF/IFAS Extension and the citizens of Florida. The program extends the vision of the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, all the while protecting and sustaining natural resources and environmental systems, enhancing the development of human resources, and improving the quality of human life through the development of knowledge in agricultural, human and natural resources and making that knowledge accessible.

An Equal Opportunity Institution.