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How to bring the birds and the bees (and the flies and the moths!) into your garden
These flowers will help you attract the pollinating insects and birds you want to your garden
Pollinators, those busy creatures that transfer pollen from one flower to another, include 200,000 species of bees, butterflies, beetles and more. GL connected with Pollination Canada, a new “citizen science” program that involves people like you and me in a nationwide survey of pollinators. Here are six categories of pollinators you can attract to your garden by simply planting an array of flowers specifically suited to their needs.
**Bees** are attracted to bright white, yellow, blue or violet flowers, which often have “nectar guides,” lines on the flower that point to the nectar source. Bees with short tongues prefer clusters of little flowers, such as marigold, daisy, and phlox.
**Beetles** tend to visit larger dull white or green flowers, that have a flat shape and the anther and stigma exposed, with accessible pollen. These flowers include the sunflower, aster, butterfly weed and rose.
**Butterflies** are often attracted to large and bright red, orange, yellow, pink, blue or purple flowers, which often have a landing platform for the insect. Such flowers include zinnia, goldenrod, honeysuckle and daisy. Butterflies also require food for larvae, preferring such plants as milkweed, aster, lupine, violets and black-eyed susans.
**Moths** are attracted to pale flowers with strong, sweet smells, that have large nectar sources, but limited pollen. These flowers are usually open in late afternoon or in the evening, and include evening primrose, morning glory, yucca and gardenia.
**Flies** prefer pale and dull green, white or cream flowers, but sometimes like dark purple and brown flowers. The flower shapes that flies like best are bowl shapes, funnel-like shapes or complex shapes.
**Hummingbirds** usually pollinate large showy scarlet, orange, red or white flowers, which usually do not have a strong scent. For example: honeysuckle, sage, fuchsia, fireweed, columbine, and nasturtium.
Copyright © Seeds of Diversity
##For more information:##
* Pollinationcanada.ca
* Davidsuzuki.org and click on promoting global conservation / endangered species / pollinators.
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