Attracting pollinators to your yard or garden can additional interest while supporting native species of birds, butterflies and other insects. It is important to know that simply planting flowers for pollinators to feed on is only one of many ways to enhance your garden.
Butterflies, Moths and Hawkmoths
Many forms of insects go through a life-cycle transformation, which means they need different requirements for each stage of life. Many butterflies, moths and hawkmoths require both Host Plants to lay eggs on and allow the larvae (or caterpillar) to feed on and Nectar Plants to feed from after they have transformed, which may not always be the same type of plant!
For example, Monarchs require a variety of milkweed (Asclepias) to lay eggs on so the larvae can feed. Feeding on Asclepias also gives Monarchs their toxic property which makes them undesirable to birds. However, Monarchs as well as many other butterflies will feed from milkweed flowers – but not exclusively. Monarchs will also feed from many other flower varieties, however they REQUIRE varieties of Asclepias to lay their eggs on so their larvae can feed an grow.
This means your Host Plants are going to be a bit sacrificed to the larvae to feed on, so expect these plants to have holes or missing leaves and look a little chewed up. If you are concerned about the way your host plants might look, plant them in areas of your yard or garden that are not focal points or on the edges of the property.
For nectar plants, day blooming native perennials are great for butterflies, while night and evening blooming perennials will attract a wider variety of moths and hawkmoths. Make sure you vary your garden to have nectar availability all year long as well as during the day and night!
Bees
We all agree we love and need bees, whether it is for honey or keeping our world a healthy place! Planting native varieties is a great start, but if you have a natural lawn that has not been treated to eliminate dandelions, clover or other broadleaf plants a great way to help bees is to LEAVE YOUR LAWN UN-MOWED for a bit in the spring. Allowing these plants to grow and bloom will also help get excess water out of your yard. When bees wake up from hibernation, they will soon need flowers to collect pollen and nectar from to create food. If these early spring bloomers are not available, they will be struggling to find something to eat, not giving them a great start. Also consider early blooming bulbs or perennials such as witch hazel, daffodils and hyacinths.
Humming Birds
Humming birds don’t call Ohio home all year long, but in the spring when they migrate back they will be looking for nectar plants! A popular variety of plant for humming birds is Honeysuckle, make sure to get NATIVE varieties of vine such as Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) and Honeyberry (Diervilla lonicera). Hummingbird feeders are also a great way to attract them to your garden, however make sure to keep the feeders extremely clean, refrigerate nectar when not in the feeder and replace the nectar every few days whether it is gone or not to prevent bacteria or fungus from developing which may make a humming bird sick or cause death. Do not use food coloring, or artificial sweeteners in your nectar recipe! It should be 1 Part Granulated Sugar to 4 Parts Water.
Additional Resources:
Backyards for Butterflies Publication, State of Ohio
Milkweeds & Monarchs, State of Ohio