Home Grown
Native pollinators, especially bees, beetles, butterflies and moths, are declining in abundance and diversity. Possible reasons for the decline are habitat destruction, pesticide use, invasive species and climate change.
In addition to these problems, many hybridized plant cultivars commonly sold for home gardens and landscapes produce little or no nectar or pollen. As a result, native pollinators' food supply is severely reduced. This in turn reduces the pollinators' ability to survive and reproduce.
Because native pollinator insects have co-evolved with native plants, adding these plants to our gardens can help pollinator populations. Growing native perennials attracts native pollinators, which then visit our fruits, vegetables and flowers. We benefit with more productive gardens.
Since native plant species are already adapted to our soil conditions and climate, they require minimal maintenance and care to thrive.
Attract pollinators to your garden by providing the following:
A variety of plants with different shapes and colors to attract more diverse species of insects.
Multiples of the same plant species to create drifts or clumps. Mass plantings increase the availability of desired food sources.
A succession of blooming flowers from spring through fall. Most pollinators have short life spans and different species are present at different times of the year.
The Pennsylvania native perennials suggested below are relatively easy to establish, have varying bloom times and provide a diversity of bloom shapes, sizes and colors. There are many other native perennials that provide food and habitat for native pollinators.
Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) and Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata) bloom in early spring attracting bees when pollen sources are not as prevalent.
Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) and wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) attract bumblebees, sweat bees and hummingbirds. They bloom in mid-summer in sun to part shade with average soil.
Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) grows best in wet areas, and is an excellent plant to add to a rain garden or water feature. Growing best in sun to part shade, the bright red flowers are highly attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. It blooms from July to September.
The above plants will be available for purchase at the Master Gardener Plant Sale Saturday at the Spring Garden Market at Alameda Park.
Milkweeds attract a variety of bees, wasps, and butterflies. According to the Xerces Society, a non-profit organization working to conserve North American native pollinators, milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) are considered “critically important for the diversity and abundance of pollinators.” They are also important caterpillar hosts for the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Common milkweed (A. syriaca; light pink flowers); butterfly milkweed (A. tuberosa; yellow to orange flowers); and swamp milkweed (A. incarnata, bright pink flowers) are all excellent choices for a home garden. Swamp milkweed requires more moisture than the other two species. All three species bloom from June to August.New England aster (Aster novae-angliae), which blooms from August to October, is an important late summer-to-fall source of food for bees, especially new bumble bee queens trying to build up energy reserves before winter dormancy.Sources of information on planting to attract native pollinators include the following:Pennsylvania State University, College of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Entomology, Center for Pollinator Research website: http://ento.psu.edu/pollinators/public-outreach/certSurcica, Aleandru. 2009. Pennsylvania Pollinator Series, 3.1 Pollinator Food. Pennsylvania State University, College of Agricultural Sciences, Cooperative Extension. Website: http://ento.psu.edu/publications/pollinatorfoodWagner, Shirley. 2004. “Pennsylvania Native Plants for the Perennial Garden.” Pennsylvania State University, College of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Horticulture. Website: http://extension.psu.edu/plants/gardening/fact-sheets/perennial-garden/pa-native-plants-for-the-perennial-gardenThe Xerces Society. 2011. “Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America's Bees and Butterflies.” Storey PublishingThe Xerces Society. 2016. “100 Plants to Feed the Bees: Provide and Healthy Habitat to Help Pollinators Thrive.” Storey PublishingHaywood, Mary Joy and Phyllis Testal Monk. 2001. “Wildflowers of Pennsylvania.” Venture Graphics.Mary Alice Koeneke, a master gardener, retired as a biologist for an engineering and consulting firm after 35 years. She grows vegetable, pollinator and wildlife gardens.
