Adding Milkweed to your Pollinator Friendly Garden

Contact Us!

There are many simple things you can do in

your own back yard that will invite

and protect pollinators!

Plant plenty of nectar- and pollen-rich flowers.

By choosing a variety of colors and shapes you can attract

hummingbirds and nectar seeking insects. Extend the blooming

season by planting flowers that will bloom at varying times of the year.

Provide food sources (host plants) and overwintering places for

eggs and larvae.

Although adult pollinators rely on nectar and pollen to sustain them, the insect larval stage is often quite particular about which leaves it eats. Monarch Caterpillars, for example, will ONLY eat

milkweed. Don't forget to invest in host plants as well as nectar blossoms.

Provide water.

Butterflies and other insects will sip at mud puddles and bird baths. Additionally, mud puddles provide minerals for some pollinators, such as butterflies, and provides building supplies for insects which make their homes out of mud.

Avoid using pesticides and herbicides.

Some "weeds" provide a food source, both pollen and nectar, for pollinators. If you feel you MUST control weeds and pests, choose organic home remedies. Use them after dark after the pollinator insects have gone to bed.

Provide sites and materials for nesting and overwintering.

While the Monarch Butterfly copes with cold winters by migrating to the more hospitable sanctuaries of Mexico, not all insects have the same option. Small brush and leaf piles can provide winter cover. Nest boxes for some types of bees can be created and placed, and bats will appreciate shelter in a bat house of their own.

Plants that Attract Pollinators

Aster (Aster)

Basil (Ocimum)

Bee balm (Monardia)

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)

Borage (Borago)

Caltrop (Kallstroemia)

Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster)

English Lavender (Lavandula)

Escallonia (Escallonia)

Globe thistle (Echinops)

Goldenrod (Solidago)

Hyssop (Hyssopus)

Joe-pye weed (Eupatorium)

Larkspur (Delphinium)

Licorice Mint (Agastache)

Lupine (Lupinus)

Marjoram (Origanum)

Mexican sunflower (Tithonia)

Milkweed (Asclepias)

Mint (Mentha)

Rocky Mountain Bee Plant (Cleome)

Rhododendron (Rhododendron)

Rosemary (Rosmarinus)

Russian Sage (Perovskia)

Sage (Salvia)

Stonecrop (Sedum)

Sunflower (Helianthus)

Wallflower (Erysimum)

Wild lilac (Ceanothus)

Yarrow (Achillea)

Zinnia (Zinnia)

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

1 part sugar

4 parts water

Boil together and let cool before using. Be sure to change and clean the feeder every couple of days to prevent mold

and bacteria from

growing. NEVER use honey.

CREATING A POLLINATOR FRIENDLY GARDEN

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

Butterfly Host Plants

"Caterpillar Food"

Anise Swallowtail

Sweet Fennel, Lomatium, Citrus

Black swallowtail

Dill, parsley, fennel, carrot

Buckeye

plantains, gerardias, toadflax, snapdragons, false loosestrifes

Cabbage White

plants in mustard family, cabbage family

Checkered skipper

Mallow, hollyhock

Checkered white

Tumble mustard

Clouded sulfur

Alfalfa, clover

Cloudless Sulfur

Ornamental Cassia, Canary Bird Bush

Common hairstreak

mallow family , hollyhock , rose and marsh mallows

Common Snout Butterfly Hackberry

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

sycamore, willow

Cabbage White

Broccoli, cabbage (mustard family)

Monarch Butterfly

Milkweed

Mourning cloak

Willow, aspen, cottonwood, elm

Orange sulfur

Alfalfa, vetch, pea

Painted Lady

Thistle, hollyhock, sunflower Red Admiral

nettle, false nettle, pellitor Silver-spotted skipper

Wild licorice, locust Spicebush Swallowtail

spice bush, sassafras

Two-tailed swallowtail

Green ash, chokecherry

Viceroy Butterfly

willow, poplar, apple

Western tiger swallowtail

Willow, cottonwood, chokecherry

Zebra Swallowtail

Pawpaw

Have you planted YOUR milkweed, yet? }i{

HOME

Dan says, "You can build it!"

MULCH MADNESS!

As we continue to seek environmentally friendly ways to prevent weeds and conserve water, many of us have inadvertently removed or covered nesting sites for our ground nesting pollinators. Where once was a bare patch of dirt, now a thick layer of mulch or plastic weed barrier prevents these insects from excavating tunnels in which to raise brood. Add to this the list of other dirt covers - concrete, pavement, lawns, buildings - coupled with chemical controls of pests and weeds and it's a wonder these ground nesting bees ever set up house in urban settings!

Try cutting back on the use of mulch. Set aside a section of bare dirt that ground nesting bees and other useful organisms can claim as their own. Set goals to reduce and then hopefully eliminate the use of herbicides and pesticides. Incorporating pollinator friendly practices into your garden maintenance makes a healthier environment for YOU as well.