Planting for Pollinators
Different Plants for Different Pollinators
The best way to attract and support pollinators is with a variety of flowering native plants that offer nectar and pollen throughout the growing season. Pollinators are attracted to blooms that fit their physiological traits – specifically, the length of their tongue. Because of these traits, a variety of floral shapes are needed if you want to support a variety pollinators. Some bees are generalists, flitting among flowers to drink nectar and collect pollen from many different plants. Flat or shallow blossoms, such as asters or coreopsis, attract a variety of visitors, while flowers that have tube-shaped nectaries, such as Monarda or Liatris, will attracted long-tongued pollinators, like butterflies and bumble bees.
Flowers that bloom in early spring provide food for newly emerging bumble bee queens, while fall blooms favor pollinators that are actively seeking the additional energy needed for overwintering. Also, a grouped planting, of three or more plants of a single species, is attractive because it allows them to forage more efficiently.
Seven Steps to a Pollinator-Friendly Yard
- Plant Natives! Native pollinators are adapted to native plants in both their behaviors and in their physical traits, and the plants need them as well.
- Seasonal Diversity. Grow a variety of plants that will bloom across the season – early spring thru fall – so that pollen and nectar are always available. Varied bloom shapes and color will attract a wider variety of pollinators.
- Avoid using pesticides. Pesticides may be absorbed by the plant tissue and become present in all parts of the plant, including the nectar and pollen. Bees, butterflies, and other flower-hopping insects are harmed by the residues.
- Avoid modern cultivars or hybrids, especially the “double-blooms” which can be changed in scent or shape just enough that pollinators can’t recognize them or access the nectar. Studies show that altered foliage color is also a deterrent.
- Include host plants to attract more butterflies and moths. Many lepidoptera are very selective when it comes to where they lay their eggs.
- Provide a source of water such as a shallow birdbath with stones in it, or some bare ground that is kept moist. Bees and butterflies need water, and they seek shallow water sources.
- Create and protect nesting opportunities for native bees. Bumble bees construct nests in cavities, using either existing underground cavities, or cavities under spent or fallen plant material. Wood-nesting bees build their nests inside hollow tunnels in dead treelimbs and hollow plant stems. Ground nesting native bees need direct access to the soil surface, often on sloped or well-drained sites.
