It’s a win/win situation. When you include plants that attract pollinators—bees, butterflies and other welcome visitors—to your garden, the benefit goes much farther than the resulting bounty of brightly colored flowers.
These specific plants, with open access to nectar and pollen, invite all sorts of beneficial flying insects that transfer pollen from flower to flower, helping plants make fruits and seeds. Pollinators are essential for the health of our ecosystems.
In general, the plants that attract these visitors do best in sunny locations with some protection from wind. Most of them are brightly colored, usually reds, oranges and yellows.
Here are some popular picks for our area:
Black-Eyed Susan
With the added benefit of being drought resistant, these bright yellow blooms are low-maintenance and bring plenty of pollinators to your garden. There are several varieties available.
Zinnias
Zinnias are one of the easiest annual wildflowers to grow from seed and one of the best to attract butterflies. If you have a vegetable garden, consider planting these bright bold flowers in or around them to attract more pollinators to the vegetable plants.
Butterfly Bush
This plant has a sweet scent that attracts not just butterflies but hummingbirds too. It’s highly resistant to deer with blooms in shades of pink, purple, blue and white from June until frost.
Yarrow
Many tiny, tightly-packed flowers— in yellows, pinks and reds—cluster together to form showy flower heads. Practically carefree, Yarrow is pest and drought resistant. Deadhead the flowers to allow for new blooms or leave the dried blooms for winter interest.
Coneflower
Also known as echinacea, these flowers with a cone-like center, are hardy perennials that thrive in full sun and well-drained soil. Part of the daisy family, their flowers are most often purplish-pink and grow to three-feet tall. Bonus: If you leave the seed heads alone, after the blooms are gone, you’ll attract songbirds to your yard.
Article originally appeared in May 2024