Garden

Native plants

Native plants feed native insects, and those insects feed birds. This guide covers what the research says about native plants in yards, the few plants that do the most, how nativars compare, and how to buy and plant them. The Native Plant Finder lists natives for your region.

Updated October 2026 6 min read By Connor Schmitz

Food webs

Native plants and native insects evolved together. Montana State University Extension notes that native plants are the larval hosts for native butterflies and moths, and the caterpillars are an important food for many birds. Many pollinators also need a varied diet, and some feed only on certain plant species or families. Some non-native plants are a good source of nectar and pollen, but not all of them meet the needs of every pollinator.

A 2018 study in PNAS followed Carolina chickadees nesting in residential yards. Yards dominated by non-native plants had fewer insects and other arthropods. The chickadees there switched to less preferred prey, raised fewer young or skipped nesting. Only yards with more than 70% native plant biomass by weight had chickadee populations that could sustain themselves.

Never dig from the wild

MSU says never to remove native plants from where they grow wild. It can damage those ecosystems and threaten plants and animals in sensitive areas. Buy seed or plants from a reputable supplier instead.

Keystone plants

Native plants are not all equal for wildlife. A 2009 study by Tallamy and Shropshire ranked all 1,385 plant genera in the mid-Atlantic states by how many species of moths and butterflies use them. Woody plants supported more species than herbaceous ones, and natives supported more than introduced plants. That held for ornamental trees and shrubs too: native woody ornamentals supported more species than introduced ones.

A 2020 study in Nature Communications extended that work across the lower 48 states. In the average county, just 14% of the local plant genera supported more than 90% of the moth and butterfly species. The authors call these keystone plants. The same few genera came out on top across the country:

Top five genera Average woody genus

Importance for moths and butterflies, 0 to 1. The score combines how many species a genus hosts, how many feed on nothing else, and how much the food web depends on it. Narango and others, 2020, Figure 2.

Cherries here means the genus Prunus, which also includes plums. Poplars includes aspens and cottonwoods. Among the genera they studied, 138 native woody genera and 860 native herbaceous genera had no record of supporting any moths or butterflies.

For a yard, that suggests a simple order: start with a native oak, willow, cherry or other keystone tree that fits the space, then fill in with shrubs and flowers.

Quick check

You have room for one tree and want the most caterpillars for nesting birds. Which is the best bet?

Answer: a native oak. Tallamy and Shropshire found native woody plants support more moth and butterfly species than herbaceous or introduced plants, and the 2020 study ranked oaks first across the country.

Native Plant Finder Native trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses for your region, filtered by sun, water and size, with the pollinators and caterpillars each one supports.

Open the finder

Nativars

Many native plants at the nursery are cultivars, bred for a color, size, bloom time or disease resistance the wild plant lacks. They are often called nativars. MSU notes that breeding makes them less genetically diverse than wild plants and can change how attractive they are to insects.

MSU cites research on woody nativars that found native insects ate significantly less of them when the leaf color had been changed. Some nativars also have sterile flowers and set no seed, which makes them less useful as food. Wild-type plants are best for wildlife, but MSU says a nativar can still help when the wild form is hard to find.

Seeds and plants

MSU compares the two:

Seed Cheaper Costs less, but seldom gives quick results.

Plants Surer Cost more, but improve the chance a plant establishes. Some species need nursery plants to establish quickly.

Both Mixed Plants for a show right away, seed for more species over time.

Read seed mix labels before you buy. MSU warns that mixes not made or sourced locally can include non-native species, some of them invasive or poorly suited to the climate. Mixes with annuals can look great the first year, then thin out to fewer species after.

MSU also suggests a soil test before planting. Yard soil is often disturbed or brought in from somewhere else, so a native plant won't always thrive in it. The soil test guide covers ordering one.

Planting

MSU's timing for Montana:

Seed Late fall Most native flowers and grasses.

Plants Spring or fall Nursery plants in spring before the heat, or in fall while the soil is still warm.

Bare root Early spring Bare-root trees and shrubs, while they are still dormant.

MSU Extension MontGuide MT202503AG.

Fall seeding works because many native seeds need a cold period before they will germinate. Winter does that for you. On exposed sites with little snow and high wind, MSU says fall seeding may not work well. Spring seeding also works, but seed that needs cold may not come up until the next year, and spring seed needs steady watering for a few weeks.

First year

MSU calls this a common mistake: not watering new native plants because they are supposed to be drought tolerant. They aren't until they are rooted in. Plan to water until plants are established, which can take a full growing season, or longer for trees and shrubs. Some species don't like a lot of water, so water as the plant needs it rather than on a fixed schedule.

There's no need to convert a whole yard at once. MSU suggests starting small, grouping plants with similar sun and water needs, and adding native flowers and grasses around existing trees and shrubs. The tree planting guide covers putting in a keystone tree.

Summary

Native plants host the caterpillars that many birds eat.
A few genera, led by oaks, willows and cherries, support most moth and butterfly species. Start with one of those.
Wild-type plants are best. Nativars with changed leaf color or sterile flowers give wildlife less.
Buy from a reputable supplier, check seed mixes for non-native species, and never dig plants from the wild.
Sow most native seed in late fall, and water new plants until they are rooted in.

Sources

Peer-reviewed research and university extension.

Narango, D.L., Tallamy, D.W. and Marra, P.P., "Nonnative plants reduce population growth of an insectivorous bird" ↗, PNAS 115 (2018). The chickadee study and the 70% native biomass finding.
Tallamy, D.W. and Shropshire, K.J., "Ranking Lepidopteran Use of Native Versus Introduced Plants" ↗, Conservation Biology 23 (2009). Woody versus herbaceous and native versus introduced plants.
Narango, D.L., Tallamy, D.W. and Shropshire, K.J., "Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species" ↗, Nature Communications 11 (2020). The 14% and 90% figures, the importance scores and the genera with no records.
Saeed, A., Berry, A. and Orloff, N., Montana State University Extension, "Native Plants for Montana's Home Gardens," MT202503AG ↗ (2025). Pollinators, nativars, soils, seeds and plants, planting times and watering.

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