Diverse pollinators. White lined sphinx moth, goldenrod soldier beetle, rusty patched bumble bee. Photos by Heather Holm.
A New Landscape
Minnesota’s diverse pollinators helpi native plants reproduce, but also depend on these same plants for food and shelter. Minnesota’s future climate will likely have longer, more severe droughts, increased flooding, and higher year-round temperatures. What native plants have tolerances to these predicted severe fluctuations? Are there plants that do not have current ranges within Minnesota, but are well suited to our predicted future climate? This is a short list of pollinator-friendly and climate-adaptive plants that provide food and shelter for native pollinating bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, hoverflies, beetles, and birds. By planning and planting now, these plants can be well established in an area before a severe climate event occurs, ensuring that pollinating insects and birds have the necessary plants for their life cycles.
Flood
The extent and frequency of floods are expected to increase past what local plants may be adapted to tolerate. If the landscape is under severe drought conditions previous to a storm the intense precipitation may not percolate into the ground quickly enough, with excess water pooling on the surface. This list includes plants that are adapted to floodplains, grow in moist to wet soil, or have seed that is adapted to float to new locations in the event of a flood.
Drought
Droughts can severely impact plants adapted to regular rainfall or those that grow near water. This list contains plants that have deep roots to find hidden soil moisture, life cycles where the plant is inactive during drought, seeds that can germinate after a dry dormancy, or metabolism mechanics to counter low water input.
High Temperatures
USDA Hardiness Zones may shift northward, and plants that were previously unable to survive a traditional Minnesota winter may persist in certain microclimates. See this link to view a more comprehensive list of plants that are not native to Minnesota (some have already established here) but are native to neighboring Zone 5 states, along with more options to counter flood and droughts.
For more details and plants, view the full plant list
Flood tolerant pollinator plants
| Type | Common Name | Scientific Name | Insect | Light | Zone | Bloom Time | Native to Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herbaceous | golden alexander | Zizea aurea | Larval host, Specialist bee | Full to part sun | 3-8 | Apr-Jul | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | Philidelphia fleabane | Erigeron philadelphicus | Butterflies, bees, moths | Full sun to part shade | 2-8 | May | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | prairie phlox | Phlox pilosa | Full sun to part shade | 3-8 | May-Jul | Native to Minnesota | |
| Herbaceous | calico aster | Symphphyotrichum lateriflorum | Larval host, butterflies | Full sun to part shade | 4-8 | Aug-Oct | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | false aster | Boltonia asteroides | Diverse pollinators | Full to part sun | 3-10 | Aug-Oct | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | blue lobelia | Lobelia siphilitica | Diverse pollinators | Full sun to part shade | 3-9 | Jul-Oct | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | meadow blazing star | Liatris ligulistylis | Diverse pollinators, larval host | Full to part sun | 3-9 | Jul-Oct | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | cardinal flower | Lobelia cardinalis | bumble bees, sweat bees | Full sun to part shade | 4-9 | Jul-Sep | Native to Minnesota |
| Tree | box elder | Acer negundo | Larval host | Full fun to shade | 2-9 | Apr-May | Native to Minnesota |
| Tree | eastern cottonwood | Populus deltoides | Full to part sun | 2-9 | Apr-May | Native to Minnesota | |
| Tree | black maple | Acer nigrum | Larval host | Full fun to shade | 4-8 | Apr-Jun | Native to Minnesota |
| Tree | American basswood | Tilia americana | Full sun to part shade | 3-6 | Jun-Aug | Native to Minnesota | |
| Woody | false indigo | Amorpha fruticosa | bees, beetles | Full sun to part shade | 4-9 | Apr-Jun | Native to Minnesota |
| Woody | pussy willow | Salix discolor | Diverse pollinators | Full fun to shade | 3-7 | Apr-May | Native to Minnesota |
| Woody | American highbush cranberry | Viburnum opulus var. americanum | Diverse pollinators, larval host | Full sun to part shade | 2-7 | May-Jun | Native to Minnesota |
| Woody | witchhazel | Hamamelis virginiana | Diverse pollinators | Full sun to part shade | 4-8 | Sep-Nov | Native to Minnesota |
Drought tolerant pollinator plants
| Type | Common Name | Scientific Name | Insect | Light | Zone | Bloom Time | Native to Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herbaceous | wild geranium | Geranium maculatum | Specialist bees | Full fun to shade | 3-8 | Apr-Jul | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | golden alexander | Zizea aurea | Larval host, Specialist bee | Full to part sun | 3-8 | Apr-Jul | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | field pussy toes | Antennaria neglecta | mining bees, sweat bees, bumble bees, larval host for American painted lady butterfly | Full sun to part shade | 3-8 | Apr-Jun | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | Maximilian sunflower | Helianthus maximiliani | Specialist bees, larval host, butterflies, skippers | Full sun | 4-9 | Aug-Nov | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | stiff goldenrod | Solidago rigida | Specialist bees, larval host, butterflies, beetles, flies, wasps | Full sun | 3-9 | Aug-Sep | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | yarrow | Achillea millefolium | foraging bees, ladybugs, wasps, aphids | Full sun to part shade | 3-9 | Jun-Sep | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | butterfly-weed | Asclepias tuberosa | butterflies, bees, beetles, wasps, ants | Full to part sun | 3-9 | Jun-Sep | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | purple prairie clover | Dalea purpurea | Larval host plant (southern dogface butterfly), specialist bees (cellophane bees), sweat bees, bumble bees, leafcutter bees, flies, beetles | Full sun | 3-8 | Jun-Sep | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | wild bergamot | Monarda fistulosa | Larval host (hermit sphnix moth, snout moths), specialist bees (black sweat bee), wasps (mason wasps, great black wasp), bee flies, beetles (soldier beetles, banded long-horned beetles), butterflies & moths, bumble bees, foraging bees | Full to part sun | 3-9 | Jun-Sep | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | white snakeroot | Ageratina altissima | Bees, butterflies, moths | Full fun to shade | 3-9 | Jul-Oct | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | rough | Liatris aspera | Butterflies, bumble bees, flower flies, larval host | Full to part sun | 3-10 | Jul-Oct | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | little bluestem | Schizachyrium scoparium | Larval host | Full to part sun | 3-9 | Jul-Oct | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | lead plant | Amorpha canescens | Specialist bees, larval host, butterflies | Full sun | 3-8 | Jun-Aug | Native to Minnesota |
| Herbaceous | narrowleaf purple coneflower | Echinacea angustifolia | Specialist bees, butterflies | Full sun | 4-9 | Jun-Oct | Native to Minnesota |
| Tree | wild American plum | Prunus americana | bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, flies, larval host, specialist bees | Full sun | 3-8 | May | Native to Minnesota |
| Woody | sakatoon serviceberry | Amelanchier alnifolia | larval host, bees, flies, beetles | Full sun to part shade | 3-8 | Apr-Jun | Native to Minnesota |
| Woody | currants and gooseberries | Ribes spp. | Full fun to shade | 3-8 | Apr-Jun | Native to Minnesota | |
| Woody | false blue indigo | Baptisia australis | Larval host (Frosted Elfin, Wild Indigo Dustywing, Hoary Edge butterflies), specialist bees, bumble bees, skippers, moths, butterflies | Full sun | 3-9 | May-Jul | Not native to MN but present |
| Woody | rattlesnake master | Eryngium yuccifolium | bumble bees, yellow-faced bees, sweat bees, beetles, flies | Full sun | 4-9 | Jul-Sep | Native to Minnesota |
Pollinator plants for future heat tolerance
| Type | Common Name | Scientific Name | Insect | Light | Zone | Bloom Time | Native to Minnesota |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herbaceous | rose mallow | Hibiscus laevis | Diverse pollinators | Full sun to part shade | 4-9 | Jul-Sep | Not native to Minnesota and not present. Potentially future climate adaptive. |
| Herbaceous | black cohosh | Actaea racemosa | Diverse pollinators | Part shade to shade | 5-7 | May-Aug | Not native to Minnesota and not present. Potentially future climate adaptive. |
| Herbaceous | pale purple coneflower | Echinacea pallida | Diverse pollinators | Full sun | 3-8 | May-Jul | Not native to Minnesota and not present. Potentially future climate adaptive. |
| Tree | eastern redbud | Cercis canadensis | Diverse pollinators and larval host | Full sun to part shade | 4-9 | Apr-Jun | Not native to Minnesota and not present. Potentially future climate adaptive. |
| Tree | sycamore | Platanus occidentalis | Diverse pollinators and larval host | Full to part sun | 4-9 | Apr-May | Not native to Minnesota and not present. Potentially future climate adaptive. |
| Tree | chinquapin oak | Quercus muehlenbergii | Larval host | Full fun to shade | 5-7 | May-Jun | Not native to Minnesota and not present. Potentially future climate adaptive. |
| Tree | Ohio buckeye | Aesculus glabra | Diverse pollinators | Full sun to part shade | 3-7 | May-Jun | Native to Minnesota |
| Woody | spicebush | Lindera benzoin | Diverse pollinators and larval host | Part shade to shade | 3-9 | Apr-May | Not native to Minnesota and not present. Potentially future climate adaptive. |
| Woody | false blue indigo | Baptisia australis | Diverse pollinators and larval host | Full sun | 3-9 | May-Jul | Not native to MN but present |
| Woody | Adam's needle | Yucca filamentosa | Butterflies and moths | Full sun | 5-9 | May-Jun | Not native to Minnesota and not present. Potentially future climate adaptive. |
| Woody | soapweed | Yucca glauca | Butterflies and moths | Full sun | 3-7 | May-Jun | Not native to Minnesota and not present. Potentially future climate adaptive. |
Content developed by Ben Ziegler and Elaine Evans