As summer draws toward an end, many flowers are fading. But busy bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds and other wildlife are still hungry for pollen and nectar.
“Late-season blooms are just as important to pollinators as spring flowers,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “A garden that feeds pollinators is one that has something in bloom all season long.”
A good food supply will fuel Monarch butterflies as they complete their epic migration south to Mexico. Late-season bloom also makes sure native bees are in good condition as they prepare to overwinter in tree cavities or underground burrows.
Late summer also brings sales at garden centers, which can be a good opportunity to add some wildlife-feeding plants to your garden. To make good selections, go to mortonarb.org and search for “pollinators and wildlife” to see in-depth information about many suitable plants, especially for the Chicago region and the Midwest.
What is a pollinator, exactly? “Any animal that carries pollen from one flower to another is a pollinator,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist at the Arboretum. Many people only think of insects as pollinators, but pollen also can be spread by a furry chipmunk or even a human who brushes by a low-growing flower and picks up pollen on her shoe.
Pollen, a powdery substance produced in male plant parts, must reach female plant parts for plants to reproduce. Wind distributes pollen for many plants, but others depend on animals to let pollen hitch a ride.
For the animals, the incentive is food. Pollen itself is rich in protein, but animals are also attracted by sweet, sugary nectar that plants produce as an invitation. Bees, butterflies, wasps, flies, and hummingbirds that come to eat pollen or sip nectar usually leave with some pollen clinging to their bodies. As they shop around from flower to flower of the same species, they distribute the pollen so fruits and seeds can form.
Pollinating insects, especially non-native honeybees, are important for food crops. But people also enjoy planting gardens for pollinators to ensure native plants and wildlife thrive and because they enjoy watching bees, butterflies and moths. “All that motion and movement bring a whole different kind of energy to a garden,” Campbell said.
Native animals, such as the more than 500 bee species of the Chicago region, have evolved to consume pollen from native plants. Many will also consume nectar and pollen from non-natives, but it’s important to make sure they aren’t invasive plants.
Some animals can only take pollen or nectar from specific plant species or flowers of a particular shape. Wide, flat flowers such as black-eyed Susan make it easy for many different insects to reach their pollen. Trumpet vine and other plants with narrow, tubular flowers cater to nectar-sippers like hummingbirds.
“To have a thriving pollinator garden, plant lots of different things,” Yiesla said. “Think about shapes as well as colors. The wider the variety of flowering plants, the more different pollinators you’ll supply with food.”
Bright colors attract pollinating insects, which can see many more frequencies of color than people. Bees can’t see red, but they can see red-adjacent colors, and they are especially attracted to purple, violet, and blue. Red and orange, as well as most other colors, invite butterflies and moths. Hummingbirds are not especially attracted to the color red; for them, it’s more about the shape of the flower.
Use cultivated varieties of native plants only if their blooms are still similar to the native species. “A plant with a more compact form is fine, but pollinators are less likely to recognize and use flowers in colors or shapes that don’t occur in nature,” Campbell said.
Look beyond colorful perennial plants such as coneflower, phlox and coreopsis to include shrubs such as hydrangea and serviceberry. Most trees are wind-pollinated, but not all: Linden flowers, for example, produce a bounty of nectar to lure insects. Annual flowers such as cosmos, sunflowers and salvia also provide pollen and nectar.
Plan to have something in bloom all through fall. Consider long-blooming summer flowers such as black-eyed Susan, as well as goldenrod, sedum and asters. Don’t count out annual flowers such as dahlias, zinnias and Bolivian verbena and even some non-native autumn bloomers such as toad lilies. Fall-planted bulbs such as crocus and daffodils will supply pollen and nectar for the first insects in spring.
“Add a few more plants for pollinators to your garden every year to make it a lively and inviting habitat,” Campbell said.
For tree and plant advice, contact the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum (630-719-2424, mortonarb.org/plant-clinic, or plantclinic@mortonarb.org). Beth Botts is a staff writer at the Arboretum.
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