Tag: pollinators

Planting Native Species Creates a Haven for Wildlife and People

The hummingbird flew through the neighborhood, but the rows of lawns had very few flowers, which was what she needed. Finally, she found some bee balm, which offered delicious nectar. In addition, she saw a robin pecking at insects on the ground and a monarch feeding on milkweed. Many pollinators and bird species are facing declining numbers due increased urbanization and habitat loss. Nevertheless, they are important for pollinating food crops which we depend on and are also crucial in keeping a large number of pest insects in check. Providing plants which fulfill these ecological roles can go a long way in helping their populations as well as providing food and a connection to nature for us. Once again, it is time for the annual wildlife gardening article and native plants, such as the ones highlighted below, provide more and better food than most conventional garden plants.

Strawberry (Fragaria virginia)

Light: sun to part shade

Soil: well drained

Height: 3-4 inches

Bloom time: white flowers in May and fruit in June

This plant provides flowers early in the season when many others haven’t come out yet and the berries are popular with both birds and people. The plants easily spreads and does require some space, though I have successfully done in it in my community plot for several years now. Strawberries also work well as a ground cover.

New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)

Light: sun to partial sun

Soil: moist

Bloom time: purple flowers from August to October

Height: 24-60 inches

Range: Massachusetts and Vermont west to N. Dakota and Wyoming south to Virginia, N. Carolina, Alabama, and New Mexico.

This plant is important food source for bees in late fall as well as being a host plant for checkerspot and crescent butterflies

Bee Balm (Monarda Didyma)

Light: sun to part shade

Soil: average to dry

Bloom time: red flowers in July

Height: 36 to 48 inches

Range: Maine west to Michigan and south to New Jersey W. Virgina, Ohio and northern Georgia.

This plant is extremely popular with bumblebees and is also a host plant for the hermit sphinx moth. The leaves can also be used for a tea which was a Native American remedy coughs and respiratory illnesses. It is also a plant that works fine in a community plot, as I have it in mine.

Lupine (Lupinus perrenis)

Light: Sun to part shade

Soil: well drained

Bloom time: blue , purple, pink, and white flowers in spring

Height: 14-30 inches

It is a host plant for the Karner blue butterfly and painted lady. It also attracts long tonged bumble bees and mason bees.

Butterfly weed (Asplepias tuberos)

Light: sun

Moisture: wet to dry

Blooms: orange flowers in summer to early fall

Height: 2 ft.

Range: New England south to Florida and west to Minnesota, southern Dakota, and Arizona.

It is a member of the milkweed family and therefore a host plant for monarch butterflies. It also attracts swallowtails, fritillaries, hummingbirds, and many bees.

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Light: sun

Moisture: Average

Bloom time: Purple flowers summer to early fall

Range: Illinois and Iowa to Oklahoma, southern Michigan to northern Texas, and Georgia

This flower is a host plant for checkerspot butterflies and also attracts bumblebees, sweat bees, monarchs, swallowtails, and sulphurs. In addition, the leaves can be used for tea which is a common remedy for coughs and colds. Both coneflowers and butterfly weed are also fine in community plots. I have both in mine.

Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium and corymbosum)

Light: sun

Moisture: average

Bloom: white flowers in spring and fruit in summer

Height: 2 ft for V. angustifolium also known as low bush and 10 feet for V. corymbousum also known as high bush

Range: Low bush goes somewhat farther north reaching into Labrador and Manitoba going south to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. High bush goes north to Nova Scotia and Massachusetts west to Michigan and south to Okalahoma and eastern Texas.

It is a host plant for the striped hairstreak butterfly and also attracts andrena mining bees, bumble bees, and mason bees. Fruit is popular with both birds and people.

Raspberry (Rubus ordoratus)

Light: sun

Moisture: moist to well drained

Bloom: rose-purple flowers in early summer and fruit in late summer to early fall

Height: 5 ft.

Range: Nova Scotia to Maine west to Michigan and south to North Carolina and Tennessee.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea)

Light: sun to part shade

Moisture: average

Bloom: white flowers in spring and red-purple fruit in early summer

Height: 25 feet

Range: Quebec west to Minnesota south to Iowa and North Carolina

This tree is a host for Weidenmeyer admiral butterflies and the western swallowtail. It also attract many bee species. The western serviceberry (Amelanchier ainfolia) grows to about 30 feet and is native to Alberta and Manitoba south to Minnesota, Colorado, and northern California.

American Holly (Ilex opaca)

Light: sun

moisture: well drained

Bloom time: red fruit from fall to winter

Range: Maine to Maryland west to Texas, Kentucky, and Missouri.

This tree offers both greenery in the winter and an important food source for birds when many others are not available.

Pin Cherry (Prunus pennsylvanica)

Light: sun

Soil: dry to moist

Height: 40 ft.

Bloom time: white flowers in mid spring and fruit in summer, with red, orange, and yellow foliage in the fall

Range: Newfoundland and Labrador south to Pennsylvania and North Carolina, west to British Columbia , Minnesota and Colorado.

Pacific crabapple (Malus fusca)

Bloom time: white or pink flowers in early summer and fruit in late summer

Range: Southern Alberta along the Pacific coast and northern California.

Other important resources on this topic include The National Wildlife Federation, which include a plant finder where you can enter your zip code and it will give you a list of plants native to your area. Native Plants of the Northeast by Donald J. Leopold and Attracting Native Pollinators published by the Xerces Society also include comprehensive information. In addition my previous articles include ones on shade tolerant plants (2024), plants that are food for both wildlife and people (2022), and plants adapted to small spaces (2021).

A large number of birds, butterflies, and birds are facing declining numbers largely due to habitat loss. However, small garden patches and even plants on balconies can go a long way to providing the food and shelter that these species need. In addition, many plants that attract wildlife, such as the various berry plants and fruit trees, are equally beneficial for people, while also adding color, song, and life to our own habitats. Happy Spring!

Being Green: Grasses and Groundcovers Create Important Habitat

The butterfly flew from one lawn to the next looking for food, but all there was only grass with nothing else. Finally, she found some low growing flowering sedges. There were other butterflies as well as bees here, too, and a bit farther off, a child played fetch with a dog. Lawns are one of the most common sights and for a groundcover or a place to kick a ball around, they have their uses. However, most traditional turf grasses aren’t native to North America, are frequently invasive, and require a large amount of care. Nevertheless, there are a large number of native grasses which provide important habitat for a large variety of species, generally require less mowing and no fertilizer, and still be a place for people as well.

Grasses:

Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pennsylvania)

This grass reaches about 9 inches tall, requires well drained dry soil, and tolerates shade. It stops growing by early summer and generally only needs to be mowed once to twice a year to stay 4-5 inches. It is native to New York and Maine south to Virginia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee, and west to Washington, California, and New Mexico.

Plantain sedge (Carex plantaginea)

This grass grows to 12 inches, needs moist soil, and shade to partial shade. It has bright green leaves and small yellow flowers in early spring. It is native to New Brunswick and southern Quebec to southern Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, Maryland, and northern Georgia.

Poverty oat grass (Danthonia spicata)

This grass reaches 8-16 inches and also only needs mowing once to twice a year. It is native to most of the United States and needs well drained or seasonally moist soils and full sun, though it will tolerate dry and nutrient poor soils. Flattened oat grass (Danthonia compressa) is native to the eastern U.S. and California oat grass (Danthonia Californica) is native west of the Rockies.

Groundcovers:

Common strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

Strawberries grow 3 to 6 inches, have small white flowers in May and fruit in June. They are native throughout North America. After fruiting they send out runners, and so spread easily and are an excellent groundcover. They attract bees, butterflies, and birds (and, of course, people too!)

Moss phlox (Phlox subulata)

This flower grows 2 to 6 inches tall, needs well drained soil and has pink flowers from April to May. It is native to southern New York to southern Michigan and south to North Carolina and Tennessee.

“Traditional” lawns are essentially a monoculture and provide little in the way of biodiversity. Nevertheless, there are larger spaces where grasses and groundcovers are the best option for that particular area. For such places, native grasses and groundcovers can provide both food, nesting, and overwintering sites as well as a green place for people, pets, and pollinators.

As always, not using pesticides or fertilizers is also important in creating habitat for birds, bees, and butterflies. For other resources, go to plant finder on the National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org), put in your zip code and the site will provide a list of all plants native to your area. For my other articles on wildlife gardening, including plants for small spaces, shade tolerant plants, and food plants for both people and wildlife see April 2019, May 2020, May 2021, July 2022, June 2023, and June 2024.