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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 Vermont

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

Vermont's small landmass stretches from boreal spruce-fir on the high peaks to oak-hickory in the Champlain Valley. Hermit Thrushes — the state bird — sing from nearly every wooded ravine. Bobolinks still fill hayfields in late May. And the Lake Champlain corridor funnels waterfowl, warblers, and hawks twice a year.

Native Vermont plants do work that lawn grass and big-box ornamentals can't. They host the caterpillars and insects that 96% of Vermont songbirds rely on to feed their chicks. Sugar maples, white pines, beeches, and the woodland wildflowers that filled Vermont's forests are the same plants that still feed Vermont's birds today.

Enter your Vermont ZIP code in the tool below. The planner will filter every plant in our database to the ones genuinely native to your part of Vermont — Green Mountains, Champlain Valley, Northeast Kingdom, or southern hills — and useful for the birds you actually want. Pick the species — Hermit Thrushes, Bobolinks, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, or all of them — and we'll give you a plant list that does the work.

Native Vermont plants that genuinely support birds

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

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) — Vermont's state tree. Hosts hundreds of caterpillar species; cavity nests as it matures.
American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) — Beech nuts feed jays, turkeys, woodpeckers; hosts dozens of caterpillar species.
Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) — Cover and seeds for chickadees, nuthatches, and Pine Siskins.
Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) — Hosts hundreds of caterpillars; acorns for many birds and mammals.
Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis) — Seeds for redpolls and finches; cavity habitat in mature trees.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) — Spring nectar, summer fruit for waxwings, Catbirds, thrushes.
Hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides) — Red autumn berries for thrushes and migrating warblers.
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) — Late-fall yellow flowers; seeds for songbirds in winter.
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) — A hummingbird favorite along Vermont streams.
Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum) — Late-summer pollinator favorite; seeds for finches.
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) — Late-fall nectar for migrants; seed heads feed finches.
Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) — Hosts hundreds of insect species; critical for migrating birds in late fall.

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

Enter your Vermont 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 Vermont 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 Vermont birds, you're going to like the apparel, prints, and stickers we've designed around them.

Hermit Thrushes, Bobolinks, Black-capped Chickadees, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds — all illustrated and designed by Jaymi at Better With Birds. Made-to-order, never mass-printed.