… the birds,
… and the butterflies, and probably the bees too.
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As a volunteer for the Pacific Northwest Bumblebee Atlas for the past 6 years please let me provide information to help support our native bees. (Honeybees are European imports, basically livestock rather than native.)
METARs live in many different places and climates so we each need to observe the bees to know what they prefer in our environment. The important point is that bumblebees are cold resistant (furry) so we need to provide flowers from early spring until fall. Think of it as a grocery story that needs to stay open all season long.
Bumblebees are annual – each generation dies at the end of fall, leaving hibernating queens to begin next year’s brood in early spring. Honeybees are perennial – they survive all winter.
In my garden, the bumblebees prefer:
Winter-blooming heather
Fruit trees and herbs such as lavender, rosemary, oregano, thyme, mint-family such as lambs ears.
Blue flowers such as borage since bees see in the ultraviolet.
Cotoneaster apiculatus (an incredible draw for several species)
Tiny cup-shaped flowers including huckleberry, salal, snowberry, lung wort.
Saint John’s wort (Hypericum)
Goldenrod
Sedum
Report your bumblebee sightings to https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/
Wendy
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Wendy, you sent me off on a search for lists of plants that are bee/butterfly friendly for various regions. I think that I struck gold (as in honey not that industrial metal we can’t eat).
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Bumblebees go bonkers for sage blossoms. Tomatillo blossoms too.
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My garden in central Mexico has terrific bumblebees, and I have lots of rosemary, sage, and tomatillo.
Buzzzzzzzzzz.
d fb
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Native plants are the way to go. We have added native bee/butterfly friendly plants all over our yard. Upkeep/watering is minimal and the assortment of wildlife has grown as the plants have matured.
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