9 Apr 2025

Plant a pollinator garden bees and butterflies will love

by Bill Hofmann | posted in: Wildflowers | 0

Creating a rich native plant habitat is one of the most important things you do to support pollinators. Native plants are well adapted to survive in a particular geographic area based on climate, rainfall, and pollinators’ availability. By planting native plants in a pollinator garden, you can bolster the wild bee populations and protect endangered species of butterflies like monarchs. What native plant species should you select for your pollinator-friendly garden?

Before we get to our favorite pollinators, here are some suggestions to remember when selecting pollinator plants for your pollinator garden:

Select nectar- and pollen-rich flowers with a range of shapes, sizes, and colors
Avoid hybrids, especially those with “double” flowers
Choose several different plants that bloom from early spring to late fall
Plant in drifts or large masses of at least 3 or more on the same plant
Incorporate larval host plants to support butterflies and moths

Now, on to some of our beloved pollinator-friendly wildflowers and plants for the region:

Ohio spiderwort

One of the first plants to bloom in the spring is Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis), offering an early source of pollen to bees, bumblebees, and sweat bees.

Wild geranium

Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) is a favorite spring-blooming woodland plant with lavender blooms and attractive foliage. The native plant is known to attract many native bees and species of butterflies and moths, using it as a larval host plant.

Milkweed

All milkweed plants are a vital food source for the larval stage of monarchs, along with other butterflies. Given a significant decline in the monarch population due to a scarcity of milkweed plants, butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), white milkweed (Asclepias verticillata), or swamp or red milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) should be at the top of your list.

Joe pye weed

Joe pye weed or spotted joe pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum) is a beautiful showy native plant with dusty rose blooms. The plant frequently attracts dozens of species of butterflies and bees.

Mountain mint

Mountain mints in the Pycnanthemum species possess fragrant foliage. Showy mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) and other species receive visits from blue and copper butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.

Monarda species

Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) and other Monarda species are valuable nectar sources for monarch butterflies. Native bees and bumblebees love the flower clusters on these plants. Hawk moths, hummingbirds, and long-tongued bumblebees specifically love the blooms on wild bergamot.

Wild senna

While wild senna (Senna hebecarpa) is only briefly in bloom, the native plant receives visits from bees, butterflies, and bumblebees. A Penn State study from 2016 discovered bumblebees prefers flowers with a higher protein-to-lipid (P:L) ratio in their pollen, making them picky eaters. The study reported Wild senna as a favorite of bumblebees.

New Jersey tea

New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) is a native shrub that is an excellent nectar source for bees and butterflies in your pollinator garden. It serves as the host plant for butterfly larvae like Spring and Summer Azure butterflies. During the American Revolution, the plant earned the name “New Jersey Tea” when its caffeine-free leaves were brewed as a mildly sweet, earthy herbal tea substitute.

New England aster

New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, previously Aster novae-angliae) is one of the latest fall-blooming plants. It attracts honey bees, bumblebee queens before hibernation, and monarch butterflies. Asters are drought-resistant and grow best in full sun to light shade.

Goldenrod

Goldenrod in the Solidago species is one of the most critical late-season native plants. Showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) and other goldenrod species serve as a vital nectar source for honeybees before winter and a pollen source for other bees’ later-season nests. With over 100 species of goldenrod in North America, a swath of pollinators utilize goldenrod as a larval host plant.

Native plants are the heart of any pollinator-friendly garden. In fact, native plants are four times more attractive to pollinators than non-natives. Due to being indigenous to a region, native plants require little maintenance and serves an essential role in local ecosystems. What are you waiting for? Contact Keystone Wildflowers today to order plants for your pollinator garden.

19 Jun 2020

Celebrate Pollinator Week by planting a pollinator garden

by Bill Hofmann | posted in: Wildflowers | 0

Get ready to toast to bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, beetles, flies (yes, flies), and bats! From June 22 to 28, National Pollinator Week is the perfect time to celebrate these hard-working animals. Pollinators provide a service vital to the maintenance of our plant communities.

Did you know, in their 1996 book, “The Forgotten Pollinators,” Buchmann and Nabhan estimated animal pollinators account for the reproduction of 90% of flowering plants and one-third of human food crops? Hard-working pollinators, like hummingbirds, bats, bees, beetles, butterflies, and flies, carry pollen from one plant to another as they collect nectar. Without them, most plants can’t produce seeds and fruit. As you may know, fruits and seeds are an essential food source for people and wildlife.

Pollinators are considered to be in a state of decline due to habitat loss and degradation, and they need our help. The decline in pollinator health is a threat to biodiversity, global food webs, and human health. Pollination may be less resistant to extinction in the future.

How can you help? By planting a pollinator garden. To be considered a pollinator garden, your garden should include: various nectar-producing flowers, a shelter for pollinators, avoid pesticides, and place similar flowers close together. Here’s why these points matter:

Choose plants flowering at different times of the year. A variety of plants ensure nectar and pollen are available throughout the entire growing season.
Plant in clumps. We recommend groups of at least three plants. A grouping of plants has a better chance of attracting pollinators than a single plant. If a pollinator can visit the same type of plant, again and again, it doesn’t have to relearn how to enter the flower. Instead of wasting pollen on unreceptive flowers, the pollinator can transfer pollen to the same species.
Diversify your garden’s colors and shapes. Mixing a variety of flower colors and shapes can attract different pollinators. For example, scarlet, orange, red, or white-colored flowers with large, funnel-like shapes appeal to hummingbirds. Also, be sure to consider various heights for establishing pollinator shelter from weather and predators.
Choose native plants. Planting native plants should be a given as Keystone Wildflowers only sells native plants. Native plants attract more native pollinators. Natives also serve as larval host plants for certain pollinator species. Host plants provide food and shelter for larval development.
Tolerate a little mess. Resist the urge to maintain a manicured lawn and garden. Leave dead snags and leaf litter for insects. Offer some bare dirt for ground-nesting bees and minimize tillage.
Minimize or eliminate pesticide use. Pesticides are generally toxic to pollinators. We always caution against pesticides. However, if you decide to use them, be sure to apply pesticides only for problematic target species.

If we do not protect pollinator habitats and create new habitats, the lack of pollination will significantly impact humans. A pollinator garden is an excellent way to protect pollinators so they can continue to pollinate plants around the world. For more information about pollinator gardens and selecting plants, please contact Keystone Wildflowers.

Pollinator Week was created by the Pollinator Partnership and designated by the U.S. Senate in 2007. The mission is to celebrate and promote the health of pollinators through conservation, education, and research.

20 Apr 2014

The best wildflowers to attract hummingbirds

by Bill Hofmann | posted in: Wildflowers | 0

It’s no secret here at Keystone Wildflower that we love hummingbirds. There is something magical about watching the tiny, dramatic creatures hover and flit about from plant to plant dressed in magnificent, iridescent plumage.

Hummingbirds prefer native plant nectar with high sugar content. Usually, the plants pollinated by hummingbirds produce flowers in shades of red, orange and bright pink, but hummingbirds accept nectar from all ranges of colored plants. So, which native plants are the best to attract hummingbirds? We compiled a short list of a few of our favorites:

Cardinal Flower – Lobelia cardinalis
Columbine – Aquilegia canadensis
Bradbury Monarda/Bee Balm – Monarda bradburiana
Butterfly Milkweed – Asclepias tuberosa
Eastern Blazing Star – Liatris scariosa
Foxglove Beardtongue – Penstemon digitalis
Great Blue Lobelia – Lobelia siphilitica
Indian Pink – Spigelia marilandica
Marsh Blazing Star – Liatris spicata
Monkey Flower – Mimulus ringens
Northern Blue Flag Iris – Iris versicolor
Purple Coneflower – Echinacea purpurea
Turtlehead – Chelone glabra
Wild Bergamot – Monarda fistulosa
Wild Lupine – Lupinus perennis
Wild Petunia – Ruella humilis