Native Pollinators Are Important for our Food Supply

When it comes to pollination, honeybees get a majority of the attention. However, many insects play a role in pollination. 

Black-Eyed Susan and Purple Coneflower

What is Pollination? Pollination occurs when pollen grains are moved between two flowers of the same species, or within a single flower. There are many ways that flowers are pollinated, including wind and animals.

According to the website pollinator.org about 75% of all flowering plants rely on animal pollinators and over 200,000 species of animals act as pollinators. Of those, about 1,000 are hummingbirds, bats, and small mammals. The rest are insects such as beetles, bees, ants, wasps, butterflies, and moths.

Pollination is critical for many of our food crops. Hundreds of food plants are pollinated by bats. Other pollinators of our most colorful healthy foods include native bees, other insects, birds, moths, and butterflies, and more. Honeybees are not native here but are important pollinators of many of our food crops.

Coreopsis (yellow) and Penstemon (white)

The Xerces society has great information about pollinators on their website at www.xerces.org, including how to attract them to your garden. The usual recommendation is to plant a diversity of native flowers.

Wild Geranium

The goal is to have something flowering all summer long. Examples in my yard include wild indigo and wild geranium that bloom in early spring, followed by penstemon and coreopsis in early summer. By mid-summer the black-eyed Susan’s and purple coneflowers are in full bloom. In the fall, asters and goldenrod make a show.

Typically, native plants require less care and can tolerate more of our weather extremes. However, I’ve found that some routine maintenance does help the garden perform better. This year I’ve tried very hard to deadhead individual flowers, which prolongs the blooming of many perennial plants. I’ve also cut some back when they are done flowering, which in many cases helps the plant foliage look more attractive for a longer period.

Try adding native pollinator plants to your gardens.

Originally Published in Canton Daily  Ledger Column on 8-13-16