Pollinator Gardening
What is Pollination?
- Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the flower’s male to female reproductive parts
- 90% of all flowering plant species require pollination by animals and insects
- 1 out of every 3 bites of food we eat is a result of pollination
Who are our Pollinators?
- Bees- They are the primary!
- Butterflies
- Wasps
- Ants
- Beetles
- Flies
- Hummingbirds
What can we do for our Pollinators?
We need to believe that other species need habitat as much as we do, and to stop sterilizing our landscapes (having grass only and no flowers).
No Insects would mean no flowering plants, causing a rapid collapse of the food web that supports amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Everything has a chain reaction so no insects would mean no birds, etc.
Threats to Pollinators
- Climate change
- Disease transfer and competition from managed bees (honey bees)
- Invasive species
- Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation
- Pesticides
Attracting Pollinators:
Butterflies are most attracted to yellow, orange and red flowers.
They also like flowers with a “landing” platform like daisies or coneflowers
Bees are most attracted to pink, purple and blue flowers.
They can tolerate more shade and wind than butterflies
Hoverflies are most attracted to yellow, orange, and red flowers.
Nature has mimics- hoverflies look like wasps but only have 1 set of wings, wasps have 2 sets of wings.
They are great for the garden because their larva feed on aphids
Bees see in ultraviolet so a yellow flower appears white to them and the pollen center heats up and looks red.
What about Bee Stings with attracting pollinators?
- 50% of bees don’t sting, only the females can sting and will only sting when they feel threatened
- Solitary bees do not defend their nest
What can we do for our Pollinators?
Plant by the 3x3x3 Guidelines
- 3 individual plants
- 3 different varieties
- 3 seasons of blooming
This means planting 3 of the same plant species (plant in groups or clusters), 3 different varieties of plants,
that will bloom in the 3 seasons (spring, summer, and fall bloomers)
Plant with Diversity!
- Have spring to fall bloomers in various colors
- Have different shaped flowers
- Layer your plant heights- plant annuals, short perennials, tall perennials, shrubs and trees
- Plant a variety of Native & Non-Native plants
- Have a water source- a shallow dish filled with stones and water
- Supply a mineral source for Butterflies- a shallow dish with non-sterile sand, dirt or mud
- Provide an area of bare ground for ground nesters (the majority of our wild native bees are ground nesters)
- Provide rocks, stumps, and dead wood for cavity nesting insects
- Don’t grow invasives- they reduce biodiversity and this negatively impacts pollinators. They will out compete our native plant species that our pollinators require
What are Native Plants?
A native plant is a plant that is indigenous to our area, that occurs naturally and has existed for many years in our region.
- Usually require less maintenance and are more well established.
- They are less susceptible to disease, pests, and weather
Why is it Important to Plant Natives?
- More than 90% of herbivorous insects only consume native plants
(ex. The native Red Oaks support over 500 species of moths and butterflies, the non-native Gingko supports zero species)
- Most have developed a co-evolved “specialist” relationship with a plant
(ex. Monarch Butterflies and Milkweed- Milkweed is the host plant for the monarch butterfly. Monarchs feed exclusively on the leaves and without milkweed, the larva would not be able to develop into a butterfly)
- 25% of bees have a specialist relationship with a specific plant species, even those plants we as gardeners consider a weed (ex. Goldenrod)
Top Pollen Specialist Plants:
- Goldenrods
- Sunflowers
- Asters
- Coneflowers
Natives VS Cultivars
A cultivar is a “cultivated variety” of a plant that
is breed by horticulturists specifically for is characteristics like blooms, color, shape, etc.
- Cultivars of native plants are often not studied enough to know if they are helpful or not
- Some cultivars are sterile or low on pollen
(ex. Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis vs hybrid plant- Cultivar provided only 20% of the nectar that the straight species provides)
Helping Pollinators Year Round
Relax the Tidy!
- No Fall Cleanup!!
- Do not cut off your dead flowers, stalks and stems. A large majority of our pollinators are cavity nesters and lay their eggs in the hollow, pithy stalks of plants to overwinter
- Leave the leaves where they are because by collecting them and cleaning up around the garden, we are actually throwing out nesting
- insects and their eggs.
- Leaves will decompose and plants can grow up through them. Decomposition in the garden is also a good thing, as this is how nutrients are recycled back into the soil.
- Clean up in the Spring!
- Wait until the temperature is roughly 10 degrees to allow overwintering bees to emerge.
It doesn’t mean you have a messy garden; we just need to think differently as gardeners.
think differently as gardeners
Pollinator Friendly Plants, Shrubs and Trees
Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Mint
Bachelors Buttons
Calendula
Cosmos
Daisy
Dandelions
Marigold
Nasturtiums
Snapdragons
Sweet Peas
Verbena
Zinnias
Astilbe
Blanket Flower
Butterfly Bush
Catmint
Coneflower
Dianthus
Delphinium
Heliotrope
Lavender
Lupins
Phlox
Pincushion
Salvia
Tickseed (Coreopsis)
Hydrangea
Lilac
Magnolia
Potentilla
Spirea
Summersweet
Rhododendron
Weigela
Flowering Crab/Cherry
Horsechestnut
Pear, Apple, Cherry, Plum Trees
Pollinator Friendly Native Plants, Shrubs and Trees
Allium
Anemone
Anise hyssop (Agastache)
Aster
Beard Tongue (Penstemon)
Black/Brown Eyed Susans
Bleeding Heart
Bloodroot
Campanula
Cardinal Flower Lobelia
Coneflower
False Solomons Seal
Foam Flower (Tiarella)
Geum
Helianthus
Hepatica
Liatris
Milkweed (Common, Swamp, & Tuberosa)
Obedient Plant (Physostegia)
Rose Mallow
Trillium
Turtlehead (Chelone)
Verbena (Blue Vervain)
Veronica
Wild Bergamot (Bee Balm)
Wild Columbine
Wild Geranium
Yarrow
Buttonbush
Chokeberry
Currant
Dogwood- Padoga, Red-Osier
Meadowsweet
Red Elderberry
Serviceberry
Shrubby Cinquefoil- Yellow Potentilla
Staghorn Sumac
St. John’s Wort
Viburnum lentago- Nannyberry
Viburnum nudum- Wild Raisin
Viburnum trilobum- Highbush Cranberry
Wild Rose- Carolina, Swamp, Virginia
Willow
American Beech
American Sycamore
Aspen
Balsam Fir
Basswood
Bitternut Hickory
Buckeye
Chokecherry
Eastern Hemlock
Eastern Larch
Hawthorn
Maple- Sugar, Red or Silver
Mountain Ash
Oak- Red, White or Bur
Paper Birch
Pine- White or Red
Serviceberry
Spruce- White, Black or Red
Delivery in the Saint John area
*cost depending on location.