Gardening To Attract Pollinators

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Gardening to attract pollinators is not only fun but also essential to our survival as a species. In the United States, one-third of all agricultural output depends on pollinators.

What Is Pollination & What Are Pollinators?

Pollination occurs when pollen is carried from flower to flower by birds, bees, bats, butterflies, moths, beetles, and other pollinators. The wind can also take it.

A pollinator is anything that helps move pollen from one part of a flower to another. This movement fertilizes a plant, helping make seeds, fruits, and new plants. Some plants can pollinate themselves, and others use wind or water to move their pollen.

But many plants need help from insects and animals, such as bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and even some small mammals.

Pollinators visit flowers to find food, shelter, and nest-building materials. Some pollinators, like bees, collect pollen on purpose. Others, like butterflies or birds, move pollen by accident as they move.

Nectar & Pollen:

As they drink nectar or land on flowers, pollen sticks to their bodies and gets carried to the next flower they visit. This is how pollination happens.

Gardening for pollinators, like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, is less about “tidiness” and more about creating a mini-ecosystem. By shifting a few traditional habits, you can turn your yard into a high-energy pit stop for local wildlife.

How to Build a Pollinator Sanctuary:

1. Choose the Right Plants

In gardening to attract pollinators, the goal is to provide a “relay race” of blooms so food is available from early spring through late fall.

• Go Native: Native plants are 4× more attractive to local pollinators than non-native ornamentals because they evolved together.
• Plant in “Drifts”: Instead of scattering single flowers, plant at least three of the same species in a clump. This makes them easier for pollinators to spot from the air.
• Avoid “Double” Blooms: Many modern hybrids (like certain roses or peonies) have extra petals that physically block a bee’s access to the nectar. Stick to single-row petals.
• Color Strategy:
  • Bees: Love blue, purple, yellow, and white.
  • Butterflies: Attracted to red, orange, and pink.
  • Moths: Drawn to white or pale flowers that open at night (e.g., Evening Primrose).

2. Provide More Than Just Nectar

Pollinators need a full “home,” not just a cafeteria.

• Host Plants: For butterflies, nectar is just for the adults. Caterpillars need specific host plants to eat. (e.g., Milkweed for Monarchs, Dill or Parsley for Swallowtails).
• Watering Holes: Bees can’t swim. Create a “bee bath” by filling a shallow saucer with water and adding pebbles or marbles that peek above the surface. This gives them a safe place to land and drink.
• Salt Licks: Butterflies often “puddle” on damp soil to get essential minerals. Mix a tiny bit of sea salt into a muddy patch of ground to help them out.

3. Practice “Lazy” Gardening

Traditional “clean” gardening often removes the very things pollinators need to survive the winter.

• Leave the Leaves: Many bees and moths overwinter in leaf litter or hollow stems. Wait until temperatures are consistently above 10°C (50°F) in the spring before raking or cutting back old growth.
• Bare Ground: About 70% of native bees nest in the ground. Leave a few small, unmulched patches of sunny soil for them to burrow.
• Skip the Sprays: Pesticides (even some organic ones) can be fatal to the “good bugs.” If you have a pest problem, try hand-picking or a strong blast of water from the hose first.

Essential Pollinator Plants by Type:

Plant Category	Examples
Early Spring	Redbud trees, Willows, Phlox, Crocus
Summer Stars	Coneflower (Echinacea), Bee Balm (Monarda), Sunflowers
Late Season	Goldenrod, Asters, Joe Pye Weed
Herbs	Lavender, Borage, Oregano, Basil (let them bolt/flower)

Herbs & Pollination

Almost any herb will attract pollinators. While gardening to attract pollinators, I ensure that my garden features a variety of herbs, mixed with other plants and flowers.

Some herbs I’ve recently planted are chives, lemon balm, sage, and various mints.

Some plants in my garden that attract pollinators are coral bells, hosta, begonias, geraniums, salvia, ivy, veronica, and Shasta daisies.

How Birds, Bees, Hummingbirds & Butterflies Pollinate Flowers

Sticky pollen attaches to a bird’s beak and feathers. The bird visits the next flower, drops pollen, and picks up more. This is the process they use to pollinate flowers.

A bee collects nectar and pollen from the flower, and it sticks to the hairs of the body. When she visits the next flower, some of this pollen is transferred to the pistil’s stigma or tip. This is the female reproductive organ of the flower.

Pollen clings to a hummingbird’s bill as it sips nectar from a flower. Then, when the hummingbird visits another flower, the pollen is transferred to a new bloom for pollination.

Butterflies pollinate flowers by moving pollen from one flower to another of the same species. The pollen attaches to their bodies while they feed on nectar.

Butterflies are less efficient than bees at moving pollen between plants. They are highly perched on their long, thin legs and do not pick up much pollen on their bodies.

Gardening to Attract Pollinators: Choosing the Right Colors

Butterflies and hummingbirds are typically drawn to plants with red, orange, pink, or yellow flowers.

According to scientists, the most likely colors to attract bees are purple, violet, and blue.

Bees are attracted to bright white, yellow, or blue flowers. As well as flowers with contrasting ultraviolet patterns with fresh, mild, or pleasant odors.

Nature offers many wonderful things for us to enjoy. The pollinators essential to our survival are just one part of it.