|
| Let's use this thread to document what plants are attracting the most pollinators as the season progresses. It seems that pollinators' tastes will change from year to year. What was a hit one season will be all but ignored the next. Bees, other insects, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, etc. are all fair game to include. To date, I have observed far fewer bees and flower flies compared to last year. I am not sure if it is due to colder spring temperatures, a harsh winter or simply absent and/or unhealthy bees. Plants that have been getting the most traffic so far: Crambe maritima I have had many different types of alliums in bloom but they are surprisingly not getting much attention. Last year they were swarming with happy bees. Of note, I have also noticed far fewer butterflies. |
This post was edited by ispahan on Wed, Jun 12, 13 at 9:15
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| mmmm, maybe because it has been such a slow start to spring and the season is just ramping up, but there seems a complete scarcity round my way - the only butterflies are the ubiquitous large whites and the odd peacock and tortie. The rose species are usually busy and the fruit bush flowers (raspberry, blackberry) have been mobbed with bees. Will pay more attention and try to be more specific. |
|
| I'm having the best butterfly year ever -- we had a mild winter in the DC area. Fave nectar plants are: salvia (may night is finishing up but caradonna is in full swing) drumstick verbena agastache monarda (raspberry wine is just starting this week) |
|
| So far the biggest attractors have been our plum tree, which was a total swarm for 5 days, and a rugosa rose. Yesterday I wanted to enjoy some rose fragrance yet I could not find an unoccupied flower to sniff. There was a bee in every flower! We haven't hit the real flowery times of the summer yet, so I'm sure there is more to come. |
|
| My red and yellow wild columbine gets both hummers and insects. The hummers also love an old-style green variegated Heuchera/coral bells that has tall red flowers. I know that this is the perennials forum, but my busiest plants for the bees in May and early June are my Jet Trail quince and my Roseum Elegans rhododendron. The tall alliums attract many smaller pollinators. 'Black and blue' Salvia is always popular with the hummingbirds. Centaurea dealbata, which I have planted on a hill to hold soil and would not recommend for a perennial bed due to its spreading nature, had two pairs of gold-finches on it the other morning, though I doubt that they do much pollinating. |
|
| I often sow phacelia (scorpion flower) as a green manure - the bees are absolutely mobbing the little stand I didn't get around to digging in - absolutely dozens of them and the noise is astounding. Flowering thymes usually get them going too. |
|
- Posted by eclecticcottage 6b wny (My Page) on Wed, Jun 12, 13 at 16:03
| Of what's flowering at the moment, the most popular for the bees have been...my blueberries. I haven't seen any on the baskets (lobelia, bacopca and million bells) nor the honeysuckle at all, and only occasionally on other things like the weigelia and delphinium. Even then, I've only seen a few bees that weren't the big carpenter bees at all. Such a strange spring! |
|
| Today there were several butterflies, mostly tiger swallowtails, on the Philidelphus/mock orange and also on the Centaurea dealbata mentioned in my earlier post. |
|
- Posted by capecodder z6 MA (My Page) on Thu, Jun 13, 13 at 10:11
| Well, I have a gazillion bumblebees, especially on Walker's Low Nepeta. With all the rain we've had the darn thing is spread out over every plant around it. I've tried to rein it in but the bumblebees keep me away. There are quite a few butterflies on it too, especially very tiny ones. |
|
| I get a lot of pollinators in my garden, esp an assortment of bees. The butterflies really vary by year - I've only had a few so far this year, but again, it has only recently gotten warm. One of them was visiting my centaurea montana, which I hadn't noticed as a butterfly attractor in previous years. Besides that, the bees are busiest around my salvia 'May Night' right now. Later in the season, the agastache and sedum 'Autumn Joy' get the most bees. |
|
- Posted by flower-frenzy (My Page) on Thu, Jun 13, 13 at 16:52
| Do shrubs count? if so, then it's definitely my California Lilac shrubs (Ceanothus). I think every bee in my neighborhood (and possibly any neighborhood within a mile of here) is out there right now. I can hear the buzzing from inside my house if the window is open! For perennials, I'd have to say my blue pincushion flower (Scabiosa). There seems to always be a steady stream of bee and butterfly activity on those. They also love my kniphofia and my Early Sunrise coreopsis. |
This post was edited by flower-frenzy on Thu, Jun 13, 13 at 17:32
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Perennials Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
