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Pollinator Gardening

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Blue flower

Across North America and world-wide, pollinators are in decline due to multiple, overlapping challenges. Urban development and large-scale agriculture reduce nesting sites and floral resources. Large areas of turf, pavement, and monoculture crops create “gaps” between the wild spaces pollinators depend on. Insecticides, particularly neonicotinoids, can harm pollinators directly or indirectly by contaminating nectar and pollen. Shifts in temperature and rainfall affect bloom times and disrupt the synchronization between plants and pollinators, making resources scarce.

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Gardening for pollinators is one of the easiest ways to support pollinator conservation. Pollinator gardens provide pollen and nectar sources, protection from pesticides, suitable host plants for eggs and larvae, shelter from predators, and overwintering habitat. Creating pollinator-friendly spaces—even small ones—can make a big difference for the future of pollinators. Here are a few simple steps to creating suitable habitat:

  1. Choose a planting site with full sun and visibility from above to attract migrating pollinators.
  2. Plant native and ornamental flowers with a succession of blooms from early spring to late fall.
  3. Diversify plantings to support a wide range of pollinators.
  4. Provide shelter such as undisturbed soil, hollow stems, or bee hotels.
  5. Reduce or avoid pesticide use and follow Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices.
  6. Create connected habitats in yards, boulevards, school grounds, and community gardens.

Offer water sources like shallow dishes with pebbles for insects to perch on.
Pollinator gardens provide resources often missing in modern landscapes: food from nectar and pollen, host plants for eggs and larvae, safe places to nest and overwinter, and refuge from pesticides. By planting flowering trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals, we can transform backyards, boulevards, and community spaces into stepping-stones that connect larger habitat reserves, making survival easier for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.

For more information on creating prime pollinator habitat, check out these resources:

Native Plants

Native plants are highly recommended as the prime source of nectar and pollen plants in the garden because they have co-evolved with native bees. Many native plants have developed symbiotic relationships with certain species of native bees, which is known as a plant-pollinator mutualism. While non-native plants can certainly provide for generalist eaters, native plants are adapted to local soils and climate, and are usually the most effective sources of food and shelter for native pollinators.

For more information on how to incorporate a pollinator garden into your landscaping, check out the NDSU Extension publication:

Bee-utiful Landscapes: Building a Pollinator Garden

This comprehensive guide will help you identify major pollinators, choose plants that will provide a continuous source of nectar and pollen, and instructions on the safe use of pesticides.

Another helpful resource for choosing pollinator plants is the

National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder

Input your zip code to find a list of plants ranked by the number of pollinators they support.

Milkweed plant

Milkweed

Milkweed is a host plant for monarch butterflies and is essential for the continuation of the species. Monarch larvae eat milkweed leaves exclusively to survive; cardenolides within milkweed sap give larvae a remarkably disgusting taste and make them toxic to predators.

Adult monarchs do not feed on milkweed leaves, but forage for nectar from flowering plants instead. To support monarchs during their seasonal migration up and down North America, include a series of plants in your garden which will provide nectar resources from May-October.

Invasive Species

Some pollinator plants recommended by NDSU Extension are considered invasive and should not be planted in some counties in North Dakota. Search the USDA Plants Database to see if your selections are considered invasive in your region.