Bring the Buzz: Beautiful Blooms that Benefit our Bugs

You might have received some seed catalogs recently. They are probably filled with a variety of crazy-looking plants with colorful, vibrant blooms. Some questions that have come into the hotline over the past year are what flowers are good for pollinators. Well, besides the native plants that I have mentioned in past articles, which will almost always help the native insect population, there are some great pollinator plants that are not particularly native.

You read that right: there are plants native to Europe, Asia, and Africa that our native pollinators will flock to. How is that possible? Many of our pollinators are generalist feeders, meaning they feed on a wide range of available plants. Bumblebees are an example of this; they visit any open flowers that have available pollen and nectar. They have been found on dandelions, henbit, deadnettle, and crocus in the early spring when there aren’t many other flowers around.

So, what about others that help our native insects?

Most of the herbs we grow are an excellent food source for our insects. Not only do bees of all sorts buzz around the lavender, basil, sage, and savory, but wasps will also utilize the available nectar. Butterflies will also visit herbs that have a landing pad large enough for them to stand on. Fennel, oregano, and garlic chives offer a large landing that butterflies can land on with ease. Garlic chives are also a nectar source that our native soldier beetles like to eat in the late summer.

Many of our most colorful annuals can also be beneficial to our native insects. For example, even though we grow coleus for its bright, colorful foliage, if you let the flower spike grow, the inflorescence is a favorite of our local bee population. Two popular annuals that many of our gardens have are zinnias and cosmos. The bright colors and large flower heads will attract lots of our native butterflies. Fused flowers, such as petunias, moonflowers, and morning glories, have the ideal corolla for butterflies and moths to extend their proboscis down to reach the nectaries.

There are even cross-hybridized plants that offer great nectar for our bees. Are you familiar with foxgloves (Digitalis sp.)? What about the lesser-known cousin, the Canary Island foxglove (Isoplexis canariensis)? There are breeders who have crossed these two plants to form a new plant called Digiplexis. Digiplexis is a very bee-friendly plant, with bumblebees swarming around these bright orange and pink flowers. Instead of just having one flower spike like digitalis, this plant can produce multiple flower spikes throughout the season.

Not all these plant varieties will offer pollen or nectar to our local pollinators, so it is crucial to select cultivars that possess these traits. Additionally, if pollinators visit these plants, there is a good chance that they will be pollinated and produce seeds. These seeds can exist in the soil for multiple years, leading to the uncontrolled spread of these plants. To ensure they stay contained, consider planting these plants in a nice container or raised plant bed. Not only will this contain aggressive plants, but it will also make them more accessible for maintenance.

Although native plants are the best option for supporting local native wildlife, there are some attractive non-native flowers that can also benefit our pollinators.

by Markis Hill, Horticulture Turf and Ornamentals Agent, 2025