Northeast Ohio. From hiking and working these are plants that I’ve found beetles and wasps (my favorite insects) tend to like.
Beetles: Small white flowers such as native hydrangea (H. arborescens), mapleleaf viburnum (I’m sure other Viburnums too), bonesets, white snakeroot, New Jersey tea, mountain mints, and yarrow, as well as goldenrods and native roses.
Wasps: Small white flowers and yellow flowers seem to be popular, but they like lots of different plants. Species I’ve found they frequently visit are the ones with white flowers that beetles like, as well as swamp milkweed, thistles, Joe Pye weeds, rattlesnake master, stiff cowbane, goldenrods, and white flowered asters.
Of course the majority of wasps are predatory to feed their young, so one of the major things that attracts them is a variety of invertebrate prey. But there do seem to be to be certain plants which the adults prefer to feed themselves from. And beetles are all over the place, with larvae being insectivores, wood borers, fungivores, herbivores, detritivores, etc. so it’s a little harder to find things that support their reproduction. However, while the larvae may have more specific feeding habits unrelated to plants, many of the adults get their energy from flowers.
What plants attract lots of wasps and beetles in your experience?
by Larix_laricina_
10 Comments
Figwort!!!! I have both early and late, late (s marilandica) brought in several new mason species to my yard last summer, it is also the only plant I’ve regularly seen yellowjackets on (particularly the less common widow yj, vespula vidua)
Mountain mints, bonesets, and goldenrods take care of the larger species, such as scoliids and sphex sp. diggers
Edit: this is my experience in MA 6b
Mountain mint BY FAR. In mid-Michigan.
Monarda punctata is dominated by wasps in my garden every year
The clip is the Monarda swarming with wasps
[clip from my garden](https://www.reddit.com/r/NativePlantGardening/s/9nd3iIYppe)
Mountain mints and Devil’s walking stick. 7b
It’s the asters for me!
Honeyvine, golden alexander, and beggarsticks seem to get a lot of visitors here in Cinci area
Boneset is a huge pollinator magnet
Showy goldenrod
Climbing aster brings all the cool kids around here! NC 8a.
it’s my first full year w/native plants so i have limited experience since most of my dudes are still
establishing— but my 9’ tall serviceberry just bloomed for the first time this week, and i couldn’t believe how many bugs were on it! i counted probably 12 species i could ID as different, plus im sure new guys at night & some species too small for me to have noticed. it’s still pretty cold here so i’m sure the summer is going to be even crazier once more stuff starts blooming.
last year my joe pye, goldenrod, and bee balm all had some pretty good action, but they were also pretty much the only things to put out substantial year one blooms.