Most Flowering Plants Depend on Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, And

______________________________________________________________________________________ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pollinator Gardens in Alaska What you can do to help pollinators Most flowering plants depend on lupine, camas, viburnum, aster, bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and clover. and other animals for pollination. Pollination is an essential part of Additional pollinator-friendly plant reproduction, producing Alaskan wildflowers include fertile seeds and, in some species, arnica, valerian, northern fruit. geranium, monkshood, yarrow, violets, Indian paintbrush, and In Alaska our pollinators include western columbine. These colorful at least 95 bee species and 75 native species can provide nectar butterfly species! and pollen, are adapted to our climate, and require less care than Pollinator Gardens garden exotics. To help native pollinators you can establish a pollinator garden. Plant groups of native plants Pollinator food includes nectar, versus single plants to better pollen, and vegetation for attract pollinators. Large patches butterfly larvae. Set a goal of of each plant species help encouraging pollinator species pollinators forage more Rufous hummingbirds are Alaska’s diversity for your garden by efficiently. most common avian pollinator. planning a garden that includes a Choose plants that will bloom Photo courtesy of Bob Armstrong variety of nectar and pollen sequentially from spring through sources. The following guidelines Provide water. Some butterflies late summer to provide nectar and can benefit a variety of native will gather and sip at shallow pollen sources throughout the pollinators. pools, mud puddles, and bird baths. growing season. Mud puddles can also provide Plant a variety of flower shapes Pollinators have evolved with important minerals. Some bees and and colors to attract different native plants. It is important to wasps will use mud as home- pollinators. select a variety of native plants as building material. modern hybrids often produce less Leave a natural area for ground- pollen and nectar and may Flower shapes and colors dominate your garden. Many nesting pollinators such as bumble Some bees are generalists and use highly selected cultivars have lost bees. Ground nesters and cavity pollen from a wide variety of the floral cues that attract nesters require bare soil areas, flowering plants while other pollinators to their flowers. Native dead wood either as standing dead pollinators feed on specific flower plants will attract more native trees, stumps, leaf and brush piles, shapes and colors. We associate pollinators and can serve as egg- or soft logs. These sites may also hummingbirds with long, tubular laying and larval host plants for serve as overwintering areas for a flowers while bumble bees are some pollinator species. Some number of species, as some bee generalists visiting a variety of plants that are used for both nectar species overwinter in underground flower shapes. and larval food are Nootka burrows or in decaying wood. ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Plant yellow, blue, and purple do not require landing areas as they Consider the following non- flowers for bees and flower flies, hover while feeding. chemical techniques when which resemble bees. Bees cannot managing pests in your garden: see red, but are attracted to some Many fly species are also flowers that reflect ultraviolet light. important pollinators and prefer Try removing individual Small bees have short tongues and green, white, and cream colors. pests with gloved hands or prefer packed clusters of tiny They have short tongues so require by spraying with a garden flowers such as daisies and mint. simple flowers. hose Examples of bee-attracting flowers Encourage native predators include monkey flowers, leopard’s Avoid using pesticides and with a diverse garden bane, shrubby cinquefoil, forget- herbicides habitat me-nots, iris, and delphinium. Expect and accept a little Many are harmful to pollinators as bit of pest activity well as pests. Pesticides can kill more than the target pest. Some If you must control garden pests, pesticide residues can continue to one good option is to judiciously kill pollinators for several days use homemade remedies such as after the pesticide is applied. garlic spray, or organic pesticides derived from plants or microbes. Pesticides can also kill natural / USFWS predators, which can lead to If using pesticides and herbicides, Rudis increased pest problems. choose one that is the least toxic to Herbicides may wipe out key non-pest species and does not native plants that are important for Deborah persist on vegetation. Apply it pollinators' food mix. by before dawn or in the evening when most pollinators are not as Photo Insects such as bumblebees active. Read and follow all label and sphinx moths are important directions carefully. Alaskan pollinators Avoid spraying when flowers are Butterflies favor orange, yellow, in bloom. Choose less harmful pink, and blue flowers with sweet formulations. In general, dusts and scents. They need to land before microencapsulated insecticides are feeding so prefer flat-topped the most dangerous formulations clusters or platform-shaped flowers for bees. Sprayed solutions and in sunny locations. Cosmos, large granules tend to be less calendula, yarrow, and daisies are harmful to pollinators. all butterfly preferred plants. Sphinx moths prefer pale or white For More Information flowers that have a strong, sweet smell but also are attracted to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service columbine and honeysuckle. Sphinx Moth. Photo by Steven Katovich, Juneau Field Office USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org 3000 Vintage Blvd. #201 To attract hummingbirds to your Juneau, AK 99801 garden, provide tubular flowers (907) 780-1160 with lots of nectar in red, orange, purple and fuschia colors. Species www.fws.gov/pollinators to consider include nasturtiums, fireweed, fuschia, honeysuckle, May 2011 bee balm, and sage. Hummingbirds ______________________________________________________________________________________ .

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