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Plants For Pollinators
make life beautiful
Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies to Your Garden
Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Attracting Pollinators
Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, and other pollinators are essential to our ecosystem by helping plants reproduce. More than a third of the agricultural output produced in the world is dependent on pollinators. Creating a space that attracts pollinators has a direct correlation to the biodiversity and health of the plants nearby, especially on fruits and vegetables.
There are over 200,000 species of pollinators. At least 1,500 of which are birds and mammals. By providing for their needs, they’ll return year after year.
Learn more about pollinators and how to attract them to your garden.
Create a sanctuary for bees, butterflies and other pollinators with a few of our expert tips:
- Plant a diverse selection of pollinator-friendly plants and flowers. They’ll provide pollen and nectar sources throughout the growing season.
- Rethink your mowed lawn. Natural spaces support a greater diversity of bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
- Provide uncultivated spaces with open mud and fresh water, which native mason bees need to build their nests.
- Use beneficial insects, which bees need, to deal with pests.
- Use selective insecticides to deal with insect pest problems.
- Avoid applying any pesticides to plants in flower and during the day when bees, butterflies and other pollinators are active.
- Always use any pesticide or insecticide according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- Call a local beekeeper to move a large beehive if it is built in a troublesome place on your property rather than using chemicals to kill the bees.
Hummingbirds
- Hummingbirds eat flower nectar, tree sap, insects and pollen. Set up a hummingbird feeder, as an additional food sources.
- Hummingbirds love water, especially if it is moving. A gentle, continuous flow from a fountain is a perfect addition to the garden.
- With an impressive 100 wing beats per second and speeds in excess of 25mph, hummingbirds appear to always be on the go. However, they spend 80% of their time perching on twigs and other suitable places. The Original Hummingbird Swing gives hummingbirds a nice place to perch. When placed near a food source, they could spend most of the day there. Watch the video below to see!
- Hummingbird favorites usually, but not always, have long and tubular blossoms. The shape limits insect access to the nectar inside. Hummingbirds like blossoms with lots of concentrated nectar.
- Hummingbirds are attracted to a garden that includes open spaces, allowing them to move freely from one nectar source to another.
- Select plants that have a variety of bloom times during the time pollinators are expected in your area.
- Hummingbirds migrate alone, traveling up to 500 miles at a time.
- Hummingbirds only use their tiny legs for perching. They are too little to walk or hop on.
Butterflies
- Plants should receive full sun from mid-morning to the mid-afternoon. Butterfly adults generally feed only in the sun.
- Did you know? Butterflies drink nectar from flowers through their tongues, which function much like straws.
- Butterflies need sun for orientation and to warm their wings for flight. Place flat stones in your garden to provide space for butterflies to rest and bask in the sun.
- Butterflies often congregate on wet sand and mud to “puddle” – drinking water and extracting minerals from damp puddles. Place coarse sand in a shallow pan and then insert the pan in the soil of your habitat. Make sure to keep the sand moist.
- Select plants that have a variety of bloom times during the time pollinators are expected in your area.
- Milkweed is the only plant female Monarchs will lay eggs on and it is the only plant caterpillars will eat.
- A female Monarch will lay between 300 and 500 eggs in their lifetime.
Bees
- Honey Bees need to visit five million flowers to make one pint of honey.
- Honey Bees eat pollen to get protein and nectar to get carbohydrates.
- A single bee produces just 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.
- Only female bees can sting.
- Bees beat their wings 200 times per second.
- Bees are responsible for 1 in every 3 bites of food you eat.
You’ll be able to attract pollinators with these plants:
Native Plants-Plants that naturally grow in your region, supporting local wildlife and thriving with minimal care.
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- Oak Sedge
- Swamp Sunflower
- Golden Alexander
- Nodding Onion
- Wild Yellow Indigo
- Ohio Spiderwort
- Appalachian Sedge
- Cardinal Flower
Perennials-Plants that return year after year, blooming seasonally with proper care.
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- Agastache
- Allium
- Asters
- Bee Balm (Monarda)
- Cat Mint (Nepeta)
- Columbine
- Cone Flower (Echinacea)
- Coreopsis
- Hardy Hibiscus
- Joe Pye Weed
- False Sun Flower (Heliopsis)
- Lavender
- Milkwedd (Asclepias-tuberosa/incarnata)
- Poppy
- Sedum
- Tall Phlox
- Turtlehead (Chelone)
Annuals-Fast-growing plants that complete their life cycle in one season for nonstop color.
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- Ageratum
- Clover
- Dahlias
- Gaillardia
- Gladiolus
- Nasturtium
- Pentas
- Petunias
- Sweet Alyssum
- Salvia
- Sun Flower
- Verbena
- Zinnia
Edibles-Growing fruits and vegetables at home for fresh, flavorful harvests.
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- Fruit Trees
- Blackberry
- Raspberry
- Blueberry
- Strawberry
- Cantaloupe
- Watermelon
- Cucumber
- Garlic
- Pumpkin
- Squash
- Pepper
Herbs-Fragrant, flavorful plants used for cooking, teas, and natural remedies.
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- Anise Hyssop
- Borage
- Dill
- Fennel
- Parsley
- Sage
- Thyme
- Rosemary
Flowering Trees & Shrubs-Woody plants that add height, structure, and year-round interest to your landscape.
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- Honeysuckle (Lonicera)
- Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)
- Clethra alnifolia
- Rose of Sharon
- Serviceberry (Amelanchier)
- Viburnum
- Winterberry (Illex)
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