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Sunflowers, mistflowers, sages and asters must have sun to bloom planting them under a tree or eave will only disappoint you–and the bees and butterflies, too. Determining the sun’s arc-that is, how the sun and shade play on your pollinator garden will determine where you place particular plants. Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds like flowers and flowers need sun–preferably six – eight hours per day. Typically they offer lists of “butterfly garden” plants appropriate for your locale. If you need help identifying appropriate native host and nectar plants that will attract the butterflies and other pollinators in your area, consult your local native plant society or Master Gardeners Chapter. Here, Swallowtail nectaring on Tropical milkweed. They are magnificent caterpillars and dramatic, large flyers in the adult stage.Įastern Swallowtails, like many butterflies, are less particular about their nectar sources. But did you know that Eastern Swallowtails, one of the most common and beautiful butterflies in our part of the world, eat plants in the carrot family, Apiaceae? That means if you plant parsley, fennel, dill or rue, you will soon have Eastern Swallowtails in your yard. Most people focus on the flowers, failing to research and include host plants, but honestly host plants are the key to a successful butterfly garden.įor example, we all know that Monarch butterflies eat milkweed, anything in the Asclepias family. If you plant a variety of nectar and host plants, you should attract butterflies and bees to your yard. Bees, meanwhile, feed on a flower’s pollen (protein) and nectar (carbs). As caterpillars, they consume the leaves of particular plants known as host plants. Choose nectar and host plants to draw your favorite butterfliesīutterflies and moths feed mostly on nectar plants, their flowers providing a sugary fluid that fuels their flight and reproduction. Diverse native landscapes also support beneficial insects like lady bugs, who seemingly appear out of nowhere to combat the yellow aphids that gravitate to the milkweeds we all plant for Monarchs and other butterflies. Landscape, the population and variety of native bees increase. There is no limitation of how big or how small your pollinator garden is, a few plants can make some difference to this world.Lady bug on the job tackling aphids on Swamp milkweed. Food such as apples, berries, cucumbers and almonds wouldn’t exist without these pollinators. Pollinators transfer pollen from one plant to another and flowers use the pollen to produce seeds. Why is creating a pollinator garden important to the environment as well as human beings? More than 150 crops in the United States depend on pollinators.
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Here are some beautiful and powerful native flowers that often used in pollinator gardens: Butterfly milkweed, Blue wild indigo, Aromatic aster, Eastern blazing star, Slender mountain mint, Cliff goldenrod and Purple coneflower. Karpaty, Ukraineįinally, you can start creating your pollinator garden! Be sure that you don’t use any chemicals such like pesticide and herbicides, they kill pollinators. Bumblebee collecting pollen from a flower. Try to be diverse, pick a large number of varieties and make sure there’s always something in bloom from April to October. Native plants are adapted to local weather, they need less water and maintenance and they provide the best food for pollinators. Choose native plants in Missouri or wherever you live. Second, pick the plants for your pollinators. The location needs to be located in an area that receives at least 6 hours of sun a day. You can attract much more varieties of pollinators if you choose a sunny spot for your garden.
#Pollinator garden design how to
I got so much information from Missouri Botanical Garden and Saint Louis Zoo about how important a pollinator garden is and how to create one for yourself and for the environment.įirst of all, choose a location for your pollinator garden.
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I recently became interested in pollinator gardens when I was doing some research about it for one of our ongoing projects.