National Pollination v3

8/13/2019 National Pollination v3

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Many of us enjoy the beauty of owers in ourbackyard and community gardens. Growing native plants adds beauty and important habitats forwildlife, especially for pollinators. Even a smallbackyard garden can make a big difference. Gardeningconnects us to nature and helps us better understandhow nature works. This guide will help you create a pollinator-friendly garden.

What is pollination?Pollination is the process of moving pollen from one

ower to another of the same species, which producesfertile seeds. Almost all owering plants need to bepollinated. Some plants are pollinated by wind or water,and some are even self-pollinating. However, most

owering plants depend on bees, butteries, and other animalsfor pollination.

Why use native plants in your garden?

Pollinators have evolved with nativeplants, which are best adapted to the local

growing season, climate, and soils. Most

pollinators feed on specic plant species — hummingbirds sip nectar from long,

tubular owers, while green sweat beesprefer more open-faced owers. Non-native

plants may not provide pollinators with enoughnectar or pollen, or may be inedible to buttery ormoth caterpillars.

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Native Plant and PollinatorGardening Guide

What dohummingbirds,butteries andbees have incommon?They all pollinate owering plants.

Half-black bumblebeeand penstemon ower



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Why Should We Care?

Keystone Species

When a bumblebee feeds on the nectar and pollen of huckleberry owers, it pollinates the owers, which willproduce fruit eaten by songbirds, grizzly bears, anddozens of other animals, including humans. We callthe bumblebee and other pollinators keystone species because they are species upon which others depend. Pollinators are vital to maintaining healthy

ecosystems. They are essential for plant reproduction,and produce genetic diversity in the plants they pollinate.The more diverse plants are, the better they can adapt tochanges in the environment. Best of all, pollinators such as hummingbirds, bees,and butteries are beautiful and fascinating.

Pollinators need our help.

Biologists fear several buttery and bumblebeespecies have disappeared from parts of their range,including the once common western bumblebee. Why are pollinatorsin trouble? It appears that habitat loss, introduced

diseases, pollution andpesticide poisoningaccount for much of thepopulation declines. Wecan do our part to supportpollinators by creatingpollinator-friendly

gardens andprotecting wildlife habitat.

Insect

s and otheranimals pollinateone-third of the food we eat – allkinds of fruits,vegetables, grains,nuts, and beans.Even coffee andchocolate! Theeconomic value ofinsect pollinationworldwide hasbeen estimated at$217 billion.

Western bumblebee onMaximilian sunower(Helianthus maximiliani)



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Bees, butteries, moths, hummingbirds, beetles,wasps and even ies pollinate owers, but bee species pollinate owers more often than any other group,including birds and butteries.

Busy as a Bee

Bees are by far the most effective pollinators becausethey feed only on owers. Flowers attract and reward beesfor their pollination service. Bees gather two kinds of foodsfrom owers: sugar-rich nectar to fuel their ight andprotein-rich pollen, or bee bread , to feed their young brood.Bees use their tongues to lap or lick up nectar from owers.

Bees are a diverse group of insects that include fourthousand species native to North America. They can beorganized into two groups based on their nesting lifestyle:solitary or social. About three-quarters of native bees inNorth America are solitary nest builders.

Tongue lengthsvary in bee species. Longtongues t long,tubular owerslike penstemonsand short tongues t short-tubed owers like sunowers.

The Europeanhoneybee(Apis mellifera) is a social bee.

Bees prefer blue, purple, white, orangeand yellow owers, and sweet fragrances. They seeultraviolet colors – found on the owers of buttercup anblack-eyed Susan.

Who Are Our Pollinators?

leaf-cutterbee(Megachile) nest

nestingbumblebee (Bombus)

Nesting Lifestyles

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Tomatoes, peppers, andcranberriesrequire a specialbee behaviorcalled “buzz pollination”,in which thebumblebee grabsthe ower in her jaws and vibratesher wings todislodge pollentrapped in the ower’s anthers.



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Bumblebee (Bombus)

There are forty-seven species of bumblebees inNorth America. Bumblebees are the B-1 bombers of bees.Because of their chunky size, they can y in coolertemperatures and at lower light levels than many other bees including the honeybee. Thus, queen bumblebeesare the earliest to emerge in spring in search of the rstowers of the season.

Lifestyle: An individual queen starts a colony in the springafter she wakes from hibernation. She produces wax fromglands in her body to make pot-like cells in which to lay her eggs and to store nectar and pollen for her brood.The young emerge in a few weeks as female worker bees. As fall arrives, most bees die and only newly mated queensoverwinter to establish new colonies.

Bumblebees

groom pollen fromtheir body hairs into“pollen baskets,”or corbicula, fortransport to thenest.

Half-black bumblebee(Bombus vagans) on

Rocky Mountain bee plant(Cleome serrulata)

Social Bees

Pollenbasket

Golden currant, serviceberry,and chokecherry ower early in spring and attractbumblebees and mason bees.

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Solitary Bees

Green Sweat Bee (Agapostemon) These small, brilliantly colored,metallic green beesare hard to missin a garden. They’recommonly calledsweat bees because they occasionally landon people to lick up salty human sweat. Lifestyle: Some sweat bees nest socially, but most are solitary ground-nesters.Much of what we know about the evolution of social behavioramong insects has been learned from sweat bees becausethey show different degrees of sociality. In some species,

females build and nest alone; in others, females nestcommunally and share a common nest entrance butconstruct individual nest cells (like apartment buildings.)

Leaf-cutter Bee (Megachile)These pugnacious bees carry pollen on

their tummies. Leaf-cutter bees and other

solitary bees seldom sting. Lifestyle: They construct their nests

in tunnels in the ground, understones, or in existing holes

in dead wood. A female bee cuts circular leaf piecesto line her nest chambers,

which are shaped likethimbles end to end. In each,

she lays an egg and provisions it withpollen and nectar for her eggs.

A femaleleaf-cutter beewill cut circularleaf pieces to lineher nestingchambers.

Green sweat bees and leaf-cutter beeslike composites – blanketower, sunower, and aster.

Green sweat bee(Agapostemon)

Leaf-cutter bee(Megachile)

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Leaf-cutter bee(Megachile) on goldenaster(Heterothecavillosa)

Green sweat bee(Agapostemon)on blanketower(Gaillardia aristata)



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Solitary Bees

Orchard Mason Bee (Osmia lignaria)

These robust, metallic blue bees most commonlyappear early in spring when trees and shrubs ower.Females carry pollen on the undersides of their abdomens.

Lifestyle: Orchard Mason bees build nest cells inpre-existing narrow tunnels such as beetle burrows in trees

or hollow centers of plant stems.In the nest tunnel, the female

builds a series of horizontalcells provisioning each with pollen, nectar, andan egg and then seals the

cell with mud. By the endof summer, the bee willtransform into an adult in

its cocoon and overwinterin the chamber until itemerges in spring.

Orchard mason bee(Osmia lignaria)If you see a beecarrying pollen onits belly or hindlegs, it’s a femalebee.

Mason beehouses providenest sites forthese important pollinators.

Orchard mason bees(Osmia lignaria) on Wilcox’s penstemon (Penstemon wilcoxii)

Important pollinators of fruittrees, just 250 mason bees can

pollinate an acre of apple trees.It would take 10,000-250,000honeybees to do the same work.

Mason bees like penstemon, and native

owering trees such aschokecherry, hawthorn,

and serviceberry.

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Planning your garden –think like a pollinator.

Go Native. Pollinators are“best” adapted to local, native plants, which often need lesswater than ornamentals.

Bee Showy. Flowers should bloom in your

garden throughout the growing season.Plant willow, currant, and Oregon grape for spring and aster, rabbitbrush and goldenrod for fall owers.

Bee Bountiful.Plant big patches of each plant species for better foraging efciency.

Bee Diverse.Plant a diversity of owering species withabundant pollen and nectar and specic plants for feedingbuttery and moth caterpillars.



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Bee Homey. Make small piles of branches to

attract butteries and moths.Provide hollow twigs, rotten logs

with wood-boring beetle holes andbunchgrasses and leave stumps, old

rodent burrows, and fallen plantmaterial for nesting bees. Leave dead

or dying trees for woodpeckers.

Bee Patient.It takes time for native plants to grow and for pollinators to nd your garden, especially if you live far fromwild lands.

Bee Chemical Free.Pesticides and herbicides

kill pollinators.

Bee a little messy. Mostof our native bee species(70%) nest underground soavoid using weed cloth orheavy mulch.

Bee Aware. Observe pollinators when you walkoutside in nature. Noticewhich owers attractbumblebees or solitarybees, and which attractbutteries .

Bee Friendly.Create pollinator- friendly gardensboth at home, at

schools and in public parks. Help peoplelearn more about pollinators andnative plants.

Bee Gentle. Most bees will avoid stinging and use that behavior only in self-defense. Male bees do not sting.

Bee Sunny. Provide areas with sunny, bare soil that’sdry and well-drained, preferably with south-facing slopes.



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Butteries

By growing a bounty of native owering plants in your garden,

you can attract a variety ofbutteries.

Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail(Papilio multicaudata)

This large buttery (up to 6” wingspan) can be found from

May through August.Males can often be

seen patrolling forfemales alongstreams, canyons

and narrow roadways. Lifestyle: A good pollinator garden

contains food not just for adult butteries, but for their caterpillars.

Female butteries select specic plants on whichto lay their eggs; this ensures that when their eggs

hatch, the caterpillars will be able to eat the plant’s leaves while growing into adult butteries. Two-tailedtiger swallowtails lay their eggs on ash, chokecherryand other leaves.

When disturbed, a swallowtail caterpillar rearsup and extends two red horns (osmeteria) fromits head to frighten off potential predators.

Butteries favor platform-shaped sunower and aster, but will feed on a diversity ofnectar-rich owers from violet to serviceberry. They prefred, purple, or yellow owers with sweet scents. Butterlove warm, sunny, and windless weather.

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Two-tailed tiger swallowtail(Papiliomulticaudata) on western

serviceberry(Amelanchieralnifolia), one ofits larval plants.



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Butteries

Silvery blue butteries feed on nectar fromred-osier dogwood,chokecherry and other owers.The larvae feed on lupine.

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Ants tend and protect silvery bluecaterpillars, whichreward them withhoneydew.

Silvery blue butteries(Glaucopsychelygdamus)andlarva feedingon silvery lupine(Lupinusargenteus)

Silvery Blue Buttery (Glaucopsyche lygdamus)

Adult silvery blue butteries appear from the end of April to September. Male butteries can often be seenpuddling , which is sipping up soil salts and minerals inmud puddles.

Lifestyle: Female blue butteries lay eggs only on lupine and oncethey hatch, the caterpillars eatthe leaves, owers, and seedpods.They produce a sugary secretion,or honeydew , which is eaten by ants.



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Moths

These night-ying pollinators often evadedetection, but there’s one that ies by day to sip nectar from owers – the sphinx moth.

White-lined Sphinx Moth (Hyles lineata) Although many moth species pollinate owers, the

sphinx or hawk moth is probably the one most familiar because it’s active by day. Lifestyle: They’re great yers and some have tongues longer than their bodies. These large moths y upwind,tracking the airborne fragrance trail to a cluster of owers.Their caterpillars, calledtobacco and tomato hornworms, are well known to gardeners.

White-lined sphinx moth(Hyles lineata) feeding on yellow evening primrose(Oenothera ava)

Sphinx moths, also called“hummingbird” moths, prefer pale or white owers that open in the evening and thathave a strong, sweet smell. They pick up pollen on their land wings. Adults nectar on columbine and honeysuckle.Caterpillars feed on evening primrose.

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A butteryantenna (top)isa single lamentwith a club at thetip, while a mothantenna (bottom)can be broadand feathery ortapered to a point.

Can you tell abuttery froma moth?Butteries arebrightly coloredand moths are moreoften colored inmuted grays andbrowns.



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Hummingbirds

Because hummingbirds specialize on nectar feeding,they play an important role in pollination. Thesecolorful, migratory birds serve as a link between plant populations by visiting owers andmoving pollen over great distances.

There aremany species ofhummingbirds in

the United States including Ruby-throated, Anna’sand Black-chinned.

To attract hummingbirdsto your garden, provide them with nectar starting in early spring. It’s thought thathummingbirds prefer red-colored owers;however, they will feed on any owerthat produces abundant nectar.

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RufousHummingbird

A tiny jewel ofa bird, the RufousHummingbird ercelydefends its feeding areasand will attack much larger animals.

Lifestyle: RufousHummingbirds nestin willows in summer andmigrate to western Mexico tospend the winter.

Sap wells created by Red-naped Sapsuckers supply many animals with a quick energy boost.Hummingbirds need lots of insects (protein) intheir diet, and will nab insects stuck in sap wells.

Male RufousHummingbird onorange honeysuckle(Lonicera ciliosa)



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Beetles, Flies and Wasps

Flower Beetle (Typocerus)

Beetles present the greatest diversity of insects andpollinators. Regular ower visitors include soldier beetlesand ower beetles. They feed on pollen and even chew onowers, but in this “mess and soil” pollination process theypick up pollen and carry it to other owers.

Hover y(Syrphid)

Pollen wasp(Pseudomasaris)

These beetles are commonly seen on yarrow and sunower.

Hover Fly (Syrphid)Because they’re so abundant, ies are important

pollinators even though they transport less pollen than bees. Hover ies mimic bees and wasps in colorationand behavior to avoid predators.

Hover ies feed on the same owers preferred by bees, such as golden currant, rabbitbrush,and sunower.

Pollen Wasp (Pseudomasaris) Don’t be frightened if you see this wasp, it doesn’teat insects or sting humans, but seeks out owers forpollen. A yellow jacket look-a-like, pollen wasps can beidentied from other wasps by their clubbed antennae.They’re solitary nesters and you might nd their hardmud nests attached to rocks or twigs.

Pollen wasps pollinate penstemon and phacelia.

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G ARDENINGFlower beetle(Typocerus)



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How do I nd pollinator-friendlynative plants for my garden?

For more information on pollinators and native plants,check out The Xerces Society website: www.xerces.org.

The Pollinator Partnership offers31 different planting guides tailoredto specic ecoregions in the UnitedStates. Each guide is chock-fullof native plant and pollinatorinformation.

To get the guide specic to your ecoregion:

1. Visit the Pollinator Partnership website: www.pollinator.org

2. Click on Planting Guides.3. Enter your 5-digit zip code.

You’ll nd theSelecting Plants for Pollinators guide that ts your region. Check out thecharts that list which nativeplants grow best in your areaso that you can attract morepollinators to your garden.

Your Source for Pollinator Action and Information.



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R1-10 -5Printed on recycled paper.

How do butteries survive the winter?Mourning cloak, Milbert’s tortoiseshell, andanglewing spend the winter as adults, but

most butteries overwinter as eggs, caterpillarsor pupae. In your garden, tree cavities, leaflitter and branch piles shelter over-winteringbutteries from predators and cold weather.

Mourning cloak

(Nymphalis antiopa)

National Pollination v3

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