How Can I Attract Pollinators To My Garden?

Do you wish to attract a specific pollinator to your garden?

Do you wish to attract hummingbirds to your garden?

Do you wish to attract bats to your garden?

Do you wish to attract bees to your garden?

Do you wish to attract hoverflies to your garden?

Do you wish to attract butterflies to your garden?

Do you wish to attract hummingbird moths to your garden?

If you wish to attract various types of pollinators to your garden keep this three rules in mind: 1) Plant a garden using native flowering plants with a variety of colors and shapes, choose plants that flower at different times throughout the year and plant flowers in clumps; 2) Provide habitat for nesting and egg-laying, like shrubs, tall grasses, and low-growing plants; 3) Avoid or limit the use of pesticides.

Hummingbirds are attracted to scarlet, orange, red or white tubular-shaped flowers with no distinct odors. Good choices include perennials such as bee balms, columbines, daylilies, and lupines; biennials such as foxgloves and hollyhocks; and many annuals, including cleomes, impatiens, and petunias.

Bats are attracted to dull white, green or purple flowers that emit strong, musty odors at night. Good flower choices include night-blooming phlox, evening primrose, fleabane, moonflowers, goldenrod, nicotiana, honeysuckle, four o'clocks, datura, yucca, night-blooming jessamine, cleome, french marigolds, etc.

Bees are attracted to bright white, yellow or blue flowers and flowers with contrasting ultraviolet patterns that have fresh, mild or pleasant odors. Good flower choices are bee balm, cosmos, echinacea, snapdragons foxglove, and hosta in the summer; zinnias, sedum, asters, witch hazel and goldenrod in the fall.

Flies are attracted to green, white or cream flowers with little odor or dark brown and purple flowers that have putrid odors. Good flower choices include fennel, myrtle, single-flowered dahlias, eupatorium, Michaelmas daisies, marsh marigolds, knapweeds, wild carrots, tagetes, etc.

Butterflies are attracted to bright red and purple flowers with a faint but fresh odor. Good flower choices include butterfly bush, phlox, coneflower, lantana, Bluestar, black-eyed Susan, blazing star flowers, heliotrope, lavender, swamp milkweed, flossflower, chocolate cosmos, aster, etc.

The hummingbird moth is active during the day, however, most moths are active at night and are attracted to pale red, purple, pink or white flowers that emit a strong, sweet odor at night. Good flower choices include bee balm, trumpet flower, moonflower, morning glories, cleome, primrose, flowering, tobacco, honeysuckle, petunia, impatiens, butterfly bush, jasmine.

Many species of pollinating beetles are attracted to white or green flowers with odors ranging from none to strong fruity or foul.