![]() Species plants have an advantage over cultivars when it comes to attracting pollinators and giving them what they need. ![]() Natives are usually low-maintenance plants, adapted to your region and easy to find for sale. Pollinators generally prefer native plants over non-natives, since they have co-evolved together.Bees are drawn to purple, blue, white, and yellow. Bees can’t see red, which is a color more attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. Try to plant a mix of different flower shapes and sizes to attract a variety of bee species to your space. Small bees like small florets and composite flowers, while big bumblebees and carpenters like larger flowers. A bee’s flower preference depends on the length of its tongue! Some bees have long tongues that can easily access nectar in tubular-shaped blossoms like penstemon, columbine, and honeysuckle, while those with short tongues go for daisies, asters, and sunflowers.Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re planning to plant flowers for bees: Generally, it comes down to the shape and color of the flower. Choosing Flowers for Beesīees prefer some types of flowers over others for a number of reasons. To offer something for everyone, grow a variety of shapes and sizes. To keep bees well supplied with the nourishment they need, we need to have flowers in bloom all season long. No matter their size, all native bees rely on blooming plants for sugary nectar and protein-packed pollen to feed themselves and their offspring.Ī big carpenter bee can muscle his way into flowers like this sweet pea.There are over 4,000 species of bees native to North America, ranging from the world’s smallest bee-the 2mm (.08”) long fairy bee (Perdita minima)-found only in the desert southwest, to the large carpenter bees that reach 40mm (1.6”) long.(Note: Honeybees are non-natives and not as important for widespread pollination.) ![]() Most of the pollination is carried out by native pollinators-including flies, beetles, moths, and butterflies-but native bees are the unsung heroes.
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