Put out a spread of delcious food for these majestic foragers

With honeybee and butterfly numbers deteriorating as a result of a variety of factors – one easy thing you can do to help is feed them. These annual and perennial flowers will provide a steady supply of nectar (carbohydrates) and pollen (protein) from spring to summer. You get the benefits of vibrant flowers and visits from these miracles of evolution year after year.

3 things to remember:

Let nature come to you

Some of these plants can be relatively expensive, so let anything you can’t identify reach maturity before clearing it with a lawnmower/pulling it. You never know what mother nature might grow or what kind of awesome creature might make its home there.

Steer clear of herbicides

When you use weed killer, you not only kill the flowers that would have grown there – you also deny the sustenance that it would have provided for other wildlife. Insecticides will significantly diminish the survival odds for all the insects in the habitat. Stick to fertilizer.

Keep the banquet open

Annuals will flower for much longer than perrenials, so it’s good to have a healthy mix of both no matter how large your garden is.

All photos throughout this website were taken by me in my garden.

3 things to remember:

Let nature come to you

Some of these plants can be relatively expensive, so let anything you can’t identify reach maturity before clearing it with a lawnmower/pulling it. You never know what mother nature might grow or what kind of awesome creature might make its home there.

Fertilize, don’t poison

When you use weed killer, you not only kill the flowers that would have grown there – you also deny the sustenance that it would have provided for other wildlife. Insecticides will kill or diminish the survival odds for all the insects in the habitat. Stick to fertilizer, the results won’t disappoint you!

Keep the banquet open

Annuals will flower for much longer than perrenials, so it’s good to have a healthy mix of both no matter how large your garden is.

All photos throughout this website were taken by me in my garden.

Taraxacum (Dandelions)

Yes, those weeds that many despise. Dandelions flower in the early spring and provide a much needed initial stockpile of nutrition for pollinators. When the yellow flowers are bountiful, you’ll see large yellow sacks of pollen stores on the hind legs of bees. This is a crucial boost that will help them thrive during the summer, for this reason, I don’t use weed killer on my lawn. My yard is full of Dandelions but when they aren’t active I still have grass. Even if you just allow them to grow in one large spot you have set aside you’ll be helping a bunch. Lawns are going out of style anyway.

Centaurea montana (Bachelor's Button)

Bachelor’s button blooms in early spring, can tolerate acidic soil and dry conditions. It does not grow well in water-logged areas. It’s not as popular with my bees as Salvia and Catmint, but variety is the spice of life and they will futz around on them from time to time. Since it blooms ahead of the aforementioned plants, it can increase your seasonal coverage.

Taraxacum (Dandelions)

Yes, those weeds that many despise. Dandelions flower in the early spring and provide a much needed initial stockpile of nutrition for pollinators. When the yellow flowers are bountiful, you’ll see large yellow sacks of pollen stores on the hind legs of bees. This is a crucial boost that will help them thrive during the summer, for this reason, I don’t use weed killer on my lawn. My yard is full of Dandelions but when they aren’t active I still have grass. Even if you just allow them to grow in one large spot you have set aside you’ll be helping a bunch. Lawns are going out of style anyway.

Centaurea montana (Bachelor's Button)

Bachelor’s button blooms in early spring, can tolerate acidic soil and dry conditions. It does not grow well in water-logged areas. It’s not as popular with my bees as Salvia and Catmint, but variety is the spice of life and they will futz around on them from time to time. Since it blooms ahead of the aforementioned plants, it can increase your seasonal coverage.

Salvia Nemorosa (May Night Sage)

You’ve probably seen a good amount of this around – there’s a reason. These drought-resistant perennials look great and grow large. This specific image is of May Night Sage, but there’s lot of other varieties out there.

Honeybees love purple flowers. I’ve got 11 of these plants and when they’re flowering there are multiple bees at every one from sun-up to sundown. They know where the good stuff is.

Penstemon (Beard Tongues)

Very colorful blooms in a variety of colors, attracts all the usual suspects. It needs water and good soil, but that’s really true of all these plants. Even though they are drought resistant, if you want a lot of bloomage you’ll have to keep the plant adequately hydrated. When the plant is hydrated – so are the creatures feeding off it.

Salvia Nemorosa (May Night Sage)

You’ve probably seen a good amount of this around – there’s a reason. These drought-resistant perennials look great and grow large. This specific image is of May Night Sage, but there’s lot of other varieties out there.

Honeybees love purple flowers. I’ve got 11 of these plants and when they’re flowering there are multiple bees at every one from sun-up to sundown. They know where the good stuff is.

Penstemon (Beard Tongues)

Very colorful blooms in a variety of colors, attracts all the usual suspects. It needs water and good soil, but that’s really true of all these plants. Even though they are drought resistant, if you want a lot of bloomage you’ll have to keep the plant adequately hydrated. When the plant is hydrated – so are the creatures feeding off it.

Nepita (Catmint)

Catmint is a favorite of both Honeybees and Bumble Bees. It covers a large amount of ground and flowers at about the same time as Salvia, so it makes a great companion piece. I use weed blocker and mulch around just about all of my perennials, and cut about a 2 foot hole in the weed cover which the plant fills in rather quickly.

Asclepias speciosa (Showy Milkweed)

There are lots of different varieties of milkweed, this one showed up in my yard one day and I just let it do its thing. That’s a Woodland Skipper hanging out with the honeybees. The photo at the top of this page is of a Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly who was in the same patch of Milkweed at a different time.

Nepita (Catmint)

Catmint is a favorite of both Honeybees and Bumble Bees. It covers a large amount of ground and flowers at about the same time as Salvia, so it makes a great companion piece. I use weed blocker and mulch around just about all of my perennials, and cut about a 2 foot hole in the weed cover which the plant fills in rather quickly.

Asclepias speciosa (Showy Milkweed)

There are lots of different varieties of milkweed, this one showed up in my yard one day and I just let it do its thing. That’s a Woodland Skipper hanging out with the honeybees. The photo at the top of this page is of a Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly who was in the same patch of Milkweed at a different time.

Echinacea (Coneflower)

Coneflower is beneficial to a wide swath of species, Butterflies, honeybees, ants, sweat bees or Agapostemon and many others. It blooms in late summer/fall.

Perovskia Atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)

This grows into large shrubs with light, fluffy purple flowers. It is closely related to Salvia, but technically a different genus. Russian Sage will bloom in summer and fall, while the Salvia is still present but not as abundant as it was in spring. Looks great in large groups of plants.

Echinacea (Coneflower)

Coneflower is beneficial to a wide swath of species, Butterflies, honeybees, ants, sweat bees or Agapostemon and many others. It blooms in late summer/fall.

Perovskia Atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)

This grows into large shrubs with light, fluffy purple flowers. It is closely related to Salvia, but technically a different genus. Russian Sage will bloom in summer and fall, while the Salvia is still present but not as abundant as it was in spring. Looks great in large groups of plants.