Butterflies, bees, and birds—they’re sure signs of summer. Their presence is a comforting reminder that everything is in full bloom and flourishing. Even moths, beetles, and flies are helpful pollinators, feeding on and sustaining life for the next season. The pollination process keeps the world spinning with plants that continue to reproduce, and we totally understand why you would want to nurture that kind of life in your own yard.
No matter the size of your garden, you can turn your space into a place pollinators love to visit or, if you’re committed to it, even call their home.
No matter the size of your garden, you can turn your space into a place pollinators love to visit or, if you’re committed to it, even call their home.
Why Attract Pollinators?
It’s a vital and mutually beneficial relationship between pollinators and the plants they need. Both keep each other alive. By planting with attracting pollinators in mind, you’re assisting in keeping that relationship sustainable and helping to prevent pollinator decline. Pollinators are essential for pollinating some of our favorite plants and crops!
Getting Started
The best way to ensure a variety of pollinators stop by your yard is to cover all of your bases. Choose flowers of varying shape and color, provide a source of water, and create a place of shelter where pollinators can colonize.
Plant flowers that bloom all through the season: Gather a mix of flowers that bloom all season long. A good mix of perennial and annual flowers that attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, makes your garden a place pollinators can count on returning to.
Avoid hybrid flowers: Some hybrids, although they look beautiful to us, do not possess a desirable amount of pollen and nectar for pollinators. Sometimes they may not even have a fragrance, which is a big attractor for hummingbirds and insects alike. Plus, native flowers better reflect pollinators’ natural environment, making it more welcoming to them.
Don’t use pesticides: You’re inviting new life into your garden. Using pesticides, even organic ones, sends mixed messages to wildlife and may be harmful to them. Keep things growing as naturally as possible to create the safest haven for your visitors.
Anticipate new life: While there are ways to reduce it, be prepared for some of your plants’ leaves to be nibbled on. You can better control leaf-munching by growing a few host flowers that cater to the insect. That way, they have a safe place to gorge themselves and grow freely, without overrunning your garden.
Keep some water nearby: Pollinators like butterflies get nutrients and salts from wet earth. That’s why you’ll often see them near muddy puddles — they’re just enjoying a drink! If you don’t fancy having puddles all over your garden, consider including a birdbath or other water features.
Repurpose dead leaves and branches: If you are looking to give a home to bees or monarch butterflies, you can create shelter out of dead branches and leaves, which are natural attractors for insects.
Plant flowers that bloom all through the season: Gather a mix of flowers that bloom all season long. A good mix of perennial and annual flowers that attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, makes your garden a place pollinators can count on returning to.
Avoid hybrid flowers: Some hybrids, although they look beautiful to us, do not possess a desirable amount of pollen and nectar for pollinators. Sometimes they may not even have a fragrance, which is a big attractor for hummingbirds and insects alike. Plus, native flowers better reflect pollinators’ natural environment, making it more welcoming to them.
Don’t use pesticides: You’re inviting new life into your garden. Using pesticides, even organic ones, sends mixed messages to wildlife and may be harmful to them. Keep things growing as naturally as possible to create the safest haven for your visitors.
Anticipate new life: While there are ways to reduce it, be prepared for some of your plants’ leaves to be nibbled on. You can better control leaf-munching by growing a few host flowers that cater to the insect. That way, they have a safe place to gorge themselves and grow freely, without overrunning your garden.
Keep some water nearby: Pollinators like butterflies get nutrients and salts from wet earth. That’s why you’ll often see them near muddy puddles — they’re just enjoying a drink! If you don’t fancy having puddles all over your garden, consider including a birdbath or other water features.
Repurpose dead leaves and branches: If you are looking to give a home to bees or monarch butterflies, you can create shelter out of dead branches and leaves, which are natural attractors for insects.
Flowers for Hummingbirds
These quick-winged, long-tongued birds can be picky about the kinds of flowers they pollinate, preferring deeper nectaries with tube-shaped openings and warm red-orange colors. They’re beautiful creatures to discover in the wild, never mind our gardens! You can plant these pretty flowers to draw them in:
- Bee Balm
- Honeysuckle
- Petunia
- Salvia
- Upright Phlox
Honey Bee Friendly Flowers
Honey bees are kind creatures that don’t discriminate about the shape of the flowers they like to pollinate. Take this opportunity to round out your garden with varieties of fruits, flowers and herbs that will bloom from spring to fall. To name a few:
- Blackberry and Raspberry Shrubs
- Goldenrod
- Agastache
- Mint
- Thyme
Flowers for Butterflies and Caterpillars
Butterflies prefer native plants, which is great because they’re hardy and super easy to care for. In addition to nectar, butterflies are attracted to things like rotting wood and animal droppings. We suggest putting out some overripe fruit to help draw them to your garden. Otherwise, butterflies love these varieties:
If you’re looking to host some new life in your garden, caterpillars love to munch on these plants.
Butterfly Weed
It’s possible to draw the company of butterflies and hummingbirds by hanging your own nectar feeder. Making your own artificial nectar to fill it is easy. Simply mix 1 part refined white sugar to 4 parts water. Do not use artificial sweeteners or fruit juices, as these can harbor harmful fungi.
- Blanket Flower
- Chaste Tree
- Butterfly Bush
- Lantana
- Abelia
If you’re looking to host some new life in your garden, caterpillars love to munch on these plants.
Butterfly Weed
- Dill
- Parsley
- Fennel
It’s possible to draw the company of butterflies and hummingbirds by hanging your own nectar feeder. Making your own artificial nectar to fill it is easy. Simply mix 1 part refined white sugar to 4 parts water. Do not use artificial sweeteners or fruit juices, as these can harbor harmful fungi.
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