OT? Time to plant native perennials for pollinators

Investment Analysis Clubs Macro Economic Trends and Risks
1

METARs live all over the country (and world) but it’s autumn in the northern hemisphere. Time to plant perennials and shrubs to overwinter and get a head start next spring.

This might be on-topic for METAR because pollinators are essential to the fruits and vegetables we all eat. The starchy staples (wheat, maize and rice) are all in the grass family and wind-pollinated. But all fruits and many vegetables are insect-pollinated.

Native bees are actually better pollinators than the European honey bee (Apis melliferus). Bumblebees are able to “buzz pollinate” by vibrating their wing muscles without flapping their wings. But honey bees are commercially valuable because they live in large hives which can be schlepped around the country as various fruits and veggies bloom.

I hope that you will consider planting flowers that are important for nourishing pollinators, which include bees, moths, butterflies and other insects. Remember to plant flowers that bloom throughout the season from March through October so they won’t go hungry. This requires careful planning since each perennial usually only blooms for a month or less.

Native plants are easiest to grow and most appealing to native insects. But non-native flowers (such as lavender) and herbs of all kinds are very appealing to insects. (Also deer-resistant.)

I could write lists of plants but each of us will have different climate and soil conditions. Ask your favorite AI for suggestions for pollinators in your area.

Here’s an article about a pollinator garden in Kansas.

I have volunteered with the Pacific Northwest Bumblebee Atlas since 2018. I’ve caught, documented and released over 350 bumblebees. I also have 16 apple trees and 2 cherry trees that need pollination.

Wendy

7 Likes
2

It should be noted that not all plants require/support pollinators. Instead they set their pollen free into the wind. If interested, be sure to check about the plants you are interested in.

DB2

2 Likes
3

Also note that many flowers have been bred for showy cultivars that don’t support pollinators even if the original open-face type did. So the query to AI should include specific cultivars as well as type of flower.

I like to go to plant nurseries and observe which flowers have bees buzzing around them. I recently bought aster “Kickin” and penstemon “Catherine de la Mare” because they were the ones surrounded by bumblebees compared with other cultivars. Note that these can be propagated vegetatively (by division or from stem cuttings) but won’t come true from seed. Native plants are open-pollinated and will come true from seed.

Wendy

3 Likes
4

I’ve kept Joyful Butterfly and Gardens for Wildlife practically in business the last few years as I add more and more natives. I like those two sites because I can filter by my state/region and only get natives that are applicable to my area. So many online sites will sell something that won’t grow in your area and/or support the pollinators in your area. This fall’s big project got postponed due to some elder care issues but I’ve still got a ton of stuff planted for the pollinators. I’ll also start a lot from seed in late-December/early January to get things kickstarted in the spring, although I do most of my planting in the fall.

4 Likes
5

Learn to recognize your local native plants so you can rescue volunteers. I have two serviceberry trees (Amelanchier alnifolia) and a Garry oak (Quercus garryana) that I recognized when they each had only two leaves. When a native volunteers you know it will thrive in the spot it’s growing. :slight_smile:

Wendy

6 Likes
6

Since Wendy mentioned bees in her OP, here’s a heads up about California agriculture’s ongoing major crisis regarding a drastic die-off of polluting bees. Although the 6-year long California drought that ended in 2017 was a substantial devastating blow to native and commercial bee colonies, things got worse.

Here’s a recent 8/01/2025 overall summary from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources:

https://ucanr.edu/blog/fresno-gardening-green/article/honeybee-and-butterfly-populations-continue-decline

Between June 2024 and January 2025 (just six months!) more than 60% of commercial honey bee colonies have died. The die off seems to have begun last winter when commercial beekeepers reported losses averaging around 40%. This is the largest decline ever recorded since survey collection began in 2010. Colony losses varied among states from 34.3% to 90.5%.This decline is similar but not the same as the Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD bee die-off in 2006, from which bee populations had mostly recovered by this year.

After reports of the bee deaths were released this spring, the USDA began investigating the high colony losses using RNA and DNA testing on dead bees and varroa mites from over 100 colonies. Varroa mites are external parasites that feed on bees, weaken their immune systems and transmit viruses. Nearly all the colonies that collapsed tested positive for bee viruses spread by the mites. Varroa mites are increasingly difficult to control, as they have gradually developed resistance to all of the available miticides.

Studies on the decline in populations of native bees, including bumble bees and mason bees (which are not raised commercially for their honey), are ongoing but so far numbers are not easily available. Causes for this decline in bee populations are suspected to be multiple and include miticide-resistant varroa mites, climate change, exposure to pesticides and loss of habitat and food sources.

Around the same time that early reports of commercial honeybee deaths were released, a study in the March 2025 issue of Science magazine found that butterfly populations across the U.S. are also in decline. Butterfly population numbers have dropped 20% in the last 20 years. Although some butterfly species’ populations have increased, most have declined by more than 50% and a few have declined by 90%.

Going on-topic with more meat, I highly recommend viewing the following highly informative 10/08/2025 California Insider interview with a commercial bee keeper.

What California’s Bee Crisis Means for Our Food Supply

California Insider - October 8, 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGMpqe9rE84

It’s a national crisis.

At my single-family residence in San Dimas, California, I have a front slope planted with prostrate rosemary {Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’} ground cover that is not only highly drought-tolerant, but also a prolific bloomer of small pale blue flowers - currently in bloom attracting lots of bees.

Regards,

Ray

6 Likes
7

There were no studies of native bee populations and no funding for any studies when the Xerces Society initiated the Pacific Northwest Bumblebee Atlas and called for volunteers. I joined in 2018. Hundreds of dedicated volunteers across the country have devoted efforts to counting bumblebees. This involves capturing them gently in a net, removing them by hand into a small plastic vial, chilling on ice (which doesn’t hurt furry, cold-tolerant BBs), photographing them, gently warming them and releasing them unharmed.

Anyone can add a bumblebee photo to bumblebeewatch.org as an incidental sighting but the Atlas requires special training and many more data observations. You can see the data at bumblebeewatch.org.

Volunteer citizen scientists are essential to the task of documenting native bumblebees.

Wendy

4 Likes