Butterfly and Bee Friendly Plants
A diverse garden is a thriving garden. Therefore it is essential to include plants that attract a vital function to one’s garden-Butterfly + Bee friendly plants to increase pollination.
Why plant native pollinator friendly plants?
First pollination is an essential process to ensure plants produce fertile seeds. This process can be completed by water, wind, self-pollination or for most plants, bees, butterflies or other pollinating animals.
Native plants are significant because the pollinators have evolved along with the plants. Therefore, they are best suited to the climate, growing season and soils. Native plants provide pollinators with sufficient nectar or pollen, whereas non-native plants may not provide the same function or be inedible to butterfly or moth caterpillars.
Why are pollinators important?
Pollinators provide a vital function within nature. By pollinating plants, they ensure other species can survive on the fruit produced by pollination. Species from grizzly bears to humans depend on pollinators for their food. As a result pollinators are known a keystone species.
In addition, pollinators ensure genetic diversity within plants, which allows plants to adapt to changes within the environment.
Unfortunately, pesticide use and habitat loss are contributing to some pollinator species disappearing. Planting a pollinator friendly garden is great way to support the wonderful work of pollinators.
Did you know bees are the most prevalent pollinators more than butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, beetles, wasps and flies?
What types of plants will attract pollinators?
Bees: purple, blue and yellow flowers, sweet fragranced flowers
Examples: buttercups and black-eyed Susan’s
Bumble bees: golden currant, serviceberry and chokeberry
Green sweat bees and leaf-cutter bees: erigeron, gaillardia, sunflowers and asters
Mason bees: penstemon, astragalus, chokeberry, hawthorn and service berry
Butterflies: sunflowers, asters, violets, serviceberry shrubs, red, purple or yellow flowers with sweet scents
Moths: pale or white flowers
Hummingbirds: red colored flowers, any flower that produces nectar
Try incorporating more butterfly and bee friendly plants into your garden this year!
Adapted from: (2017). Fs.fed.us. Retrieved 8 February 2017, from https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/AttractingPollinatorsV5.pdf