15 Plants and Trees That Attract Cardinals

Welcome to our comprehensive guide to attracting cardinals to your garden! This article explores 15 remarkable plants and trees known to attract these colorful birds. Discover how to harness the power of nature to create heaven in your backyard.

About Cardinals

Cardinals are a family of birds found in a variety of habitats, including forests, scrublands, and even urban areas. It is known for its bright red plumage and distinctive call. They are most common in the eastern half of the United States. Cardinals are socially monogamous and usually form pair bonds for over a year.

During the breeding season, they build nests out of twigs, hairs, strips of bark, grass, and other plant material to establish nesting sites. Nests are usually well hidden in dense foliage and placed in trees or bushes. The cardinal nests 3 to 10 feet above the ground.

Cardinals often form flocks of up to 30 birds during the summer. These flocks may also include other bird species, and their membership is constantly changing.

15 Plants and Trees That Attract Cardinals

Cardinals consume a variety of foods. Among them are insects, seeds, berries, fruits and nectar of flowering plants. Additionally, bird feeders are sometimes used. Their diet consists mainly of fruits, seeds, insects such as beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, flies, ants, spiders, centipedes and snails. They also eat large amounts of plants such as weed seeds, grains, flowers, and leaf buds. Young cardinals mainly eat insects.

1. Sunflower

Cardinals are attracted to sunflowers, which are rich in nectar, seeds and insects. Sunflowers produce large amounts of pollen and nectar and attract a variety of birds, including cardinals. The petals act as landing pads for birds to rest while feeding. In addition, sunflower heads are packed with nutritious seeds that cardinals love to eat. Cardigans sometimes use sunflower leaves as nesting material when building their nests.

2. Elderberry

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is a shrub with small white flowers and dark purple berries. The flowers are rich in nectar and attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Cardinals love to eat berries in late summer when they ripen. In addition, elder bushes provide a refuge for nesting cardinals and a place to protect themselves from predators. It also provides food for caterpillars, flies, ants, spiders, centipedes, and snails, which cardinals like to eat.

3. Serviceberry

Service berry (Amelanchier) is a small deciduous tree or shrub with white flowers in spring and dark purple fruits in summer. The sour berries are an excellent food source for birds, including cardinals. Cardinals love to eat service berries, which are rich in vitamins and minerals. In addition, service berries attract other insects such as bees, butterflies, beetles and wasps. These are all cardinal foods. Service berries provide excellent nesting grounds for cardinals and also serve as protection from predators.

4. Red Mulberry

Red mulberry (Morus rubra) is a deciduous tree that produces sweet and sour fruit from early summer to late fall. Cardinals love the sweet taste of these fruits and rave about them when ripe. The dark red berries are an excellent food source not only for cardinals, but also for other birds such as robins, bluejays, woodpeckers and thrushes. Red mulberry also provides protection from predators and a nesting site for cardinals.

5. Holly

American holly (Ilex opaca) is an evergreen tree native to the eastern and southeastern United States. Cardinals are attracted to this tree for its glossy, dark green foliage and its dense growth habit, which provides a refuge in cold weather.

American holly also bears bright red berries that cardinals like to eat in late fall and winter. The tart berries are packed with vitamins and minerals, making them an excellent food source for cardinals. In addition, American holly attracts other insects such as spiders, moths, and butterflies, making it a food source for cardinals.

6. Ash

Ash (Fraxinus spp.) is a genus of flowering plants in the olive family that includes species native to North America, Europe and Asia. The most common ash tree in North America is the white ash (Fraxinus americana). Cardinals are attracted to this tree for its dark green compound leaves and clusters of small flowers that produce brownish fruit known as ‘key’ or samara.

These seeds are an important food source for cardinals during the winter and are an excellent food source. Ash trees serve not only as food, but also as shelter from bad weather and predators. Ash’s dense foliage is great for hiding, allowing cardinals to feel safe in the branches when nesting or feeding.

7. Birch

Birch (Betula spp.) is a genus of deciduous trees found throughout the northern hemisphere and known for its white or silvery bark. Cardinals are drawn to birch trees for the catkins (small clusters of flowers that hang like ornaments from the tips of the branches). Female catkins produce small seeds that cardinals eat as part of their diet. Birch trees not only provide food, but also protect against invaders and bad weather.

8. Common Juniper

The common juniper (Juniperus combis) is an evergreen shrub or tree that grows up to 10 feet tall and is native to North America, Europe and Asia. Cardinals are especially attracted to this variety for the small blue-black fruits called “berries”.

A delicious year-round food source for cardinals, these berries provide shelter from inclement weather and potential predators. Juniper’s dense foliage makes an excellent refuge for nesting birds.

9. Crabapple

The crabapple tree (Malus sp.) is a deciduous tree that produces small, sweet fruits. These fruits are high in sugar, which attracts cardinals and other birds.

Ornamental apple trees not only provide food, but also shelter from predators and bad weather for nesting birds. The dense foliage of these trees also provides a haven for various animals such as squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, bats and raccoons. The white and silver bark is also attractive.

10. Eastern Red Cedar

Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is a type of juniper native to North America. Also known as Eastern Juniper, Red Juniper. It grows in the eastern United States, Canada, and parts of Central America.

Cardinals are especially attracted to this variety for the small blue-black fruits called “berries”. These berries are a delicious food source for cardinals. White-tailed deer, mule deer and pheasants also eat this plant.

11. Eastern White Pine

Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) is a type of conifer native to eastern North America. He is one of the most widely distributed trees in the United States and Canada. The long, soft needles of this tree provide a cozy nesting place for cardinals and other birds. Additionally, cardinals are attracted to the cone-shaped fruit, which contains seeds that are also eaten by animals such as cottontails, snowshoe hares, and songbirds.

12. Flowering Dogwood

The flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is an ornamental tree native to eastern North America. It has a round crown and produces showy four-petaled white, pink or red flowers in spring and bright red berries in summer. Cardinals love this species for its rich food source. The small berries are eaten by cardinals, jays and other birds, and the flower buds are also enjoyed by squirrels and deer.

13. Hawthorn

Hawthorns (Crataegus sp.) are a large group of deciduous shrubs and small trees native to North America. It has an upright nature and its spiny branches are covered with white or pink flowers in late spring. The small apple-like fruit is eaten by many species of birds, including cardinals. They also provide shelter and nesting sites for these birds. Additionally, hawthorns help attract beneficial insects such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

14. Hickory

Hickory (Carya spp.) is a deciduous tree native to eastern North America. It has an irregular, open canopy of branches and leaves that provide an ample food source for wildlife. The pinnately compound leaves are elongated and have serrated margins.

Hickory trees produce catkins in the spring and edible nuts in the fall. These nuts are rich in fat and protein, making them an excellent food source for cardinals and other birds. Additionally, quail, deer, raccoons, mice, foxes, and even pigs eat hickory nuts.

15. Northern Hackberry

Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) is a deciduous tree native to North America. It has a rounded crown, grows up to 60 feet tall, and has long oval leaves and attractive mottled bark. It produces small flowers in spring and sweet purple or yellow berries in autumn.

These berries are eaten by many species of birds, including cardinals. Dense foliage provides excellent shelter for nesting sites and protection from predators. In addition, many birds such as mockingbirds, robins, and cedar waxwings eat its berries. Hackberry is also the host tree for a variety of butterflies, including the black butterfly, the tawny emperor butterfly, and the American snout butterfly.