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Where do the plant recommendations come from?

USDA PLANTS for native ranges, Doug Tallamy's research and the National Wildlife Federation's Native Plant Finder for ecological value, plus Audubon's Plants for Birds database and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for regional fit.

Are these all native plants?

Yes. Every recommendation is genuinely native to the area associated with your ZIP code.

Why is this bird-driven instead of plant-driven?

Most planners start with your climate zone and give you a generic native plant list. This one starts with the birds you actually want to attract, then filters plants to the ones that support those species.

Plants for Birds in Delaware

Native Delaware plants that genuinely support the birds you want in your yard.

Delaware sits at the heart of the Atlantic Flyway. Delaware Bay holds one of the most important shorebird stopovers on the continent — Red Knots time their arrival to horseshoe crab eggs in May. Bombay Hook fills with snow geese in winter. And Blue Hens — the state bird — give way at backyard feeders to cardinals, chickadees, and Carolina Wrens.

Native Delaware plants do work that lawn grass and big-box ornamentals can't. They host the caterpillars and insects that 96% of Delaware songbirds rely on to feed their chicks. The state's oaks, sweetgums, hollies, and coastal-plain natives built the bird communities found in marshes, woods, and yards across the state.

Enter your Delaware ZIP code in the tool below. The planner will filter every plant in our database to the ones genuinely native to your part of Delaware — Piedmont, central Delaware, or coastal — and useful for the birds you actually want. Pick the species — Carolina Wrens, cardinals, hummingbirds, or all of them — and we'll give you a plant list that does the work.

Native Delaware plants that genuinely support birds

A few of the most useful native Delaware plants for birds:

White Oak (Quercus alba) — Hosts hundreds of caterpillar species; acorns for jays, woodpeckers, turkeys.
Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) — Seeds eaten by finches, chickadees; hosts many caterpillar species.
Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) — Year-round cover; winter berries for Cedar Waxwings, robins.
Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica) — Coastal native. Waxy berries feed Yellow-rumped Warblers through winter.
Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) — Summer fruit for waxwings, Catbirds, thrushes.
American Holly (Ilex opaca) — Delaware's state tree. Bright winter berries for robins, waxwings, mockingbirds.
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) — Red autumn berries for migrating Wood Thrushes.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) — Spring nectar, summer fruit for waxwings.
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) — A hummingbird favorite along streams.
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) — Summer nectar for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) — Cover for ground-nesting sparrows; seeds for juncos in winter.
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) — Hosts hundreds of insect species; critical for fall-migrating birds.

This is a state-wide overview. For a list tailored to your garden:

Enter your Delaware ZIP and pick the birds you actually want. The planner filters every plant in our database down to the ones native to your part of Delaware and genuinely useful for your birds.

What's your ZIP code?

We'll show you native plants that are genuinely native to your area and rank them by which birds they support.

US ZIP code

Free. No email. We'll filter every plant in the database to those actually native to your state and suited to your USDA zone.

Better With Birds

Shop the birds you love

If you're already this excited about Delaware birds, you're going to like the apparel, prints, and stickers we've designed around them.

Carolina Wrens, Northern Cardinals, Cedar Waxwings, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds — all illustrated and designed by Jaymi at Better With Birds. Made-to-order, never mass-printed.