How to attract butterflies, bees and…

Many people are interested in attracting butterflies, bees and hummingbirds because of their beauty. Not only is a landscape with these critters wonderful to look at, their presence represents a thriving landscape. Attracting them is of importance because they control infestations, disease and aid in cross pollination. This will attract beneficial insects and birds-creating an ecosystem within your landscape. Continue reading to find what plants attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

Plants That Attract Bees

Bees are essential to any healthy landscape. Not only do they aid in the pollination of your ornamentals they are essential to pollinating most of our food crops. We strongly encourage sustainable practices which encourage bee habitat. One of those steps is to use native plants which; below is a list of trees and shrubs will encourage bee populations year-round.

Berries

Huckleberry
Strawberry
Raspberry
Blueberry

Flowers

Bee Balm
Calendula
Joe Pye Weed
Lobelia
Rudbekia
Shasta Daisies
Sun Flower

Fruiting Trees

All Variety of Apple
Cherry
Crab Apple
Flowering Currant
Hazelnut
Indian Plum
Peach
Pear
Plum
Serviceberry

Shrubs

Anise Hyssop
Mock Orange
Oregon Grape
Pacific Dogwood
Pieris
Russian Sage
Salvia
Winter Heather
Yarrow

Trees

Maples
Willow Tree

Vegetables & Herb

Angelica
Artichoke
Basil
Borage
Chives
Clover
Cucumber
Dandelion
Echinacea
Honeysuckle
Hyssop
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Mint
Mustard
Oregano
Rosemary
Summer Squash
Thyme
Winter Squash

Plants That Attract Butterflies

The concept behind attracting butterflies is pretty simple. Butterflies are native so stick to native plants. A common mistake people make is planting flowers and shrubs that attract only adult butterflies, neglecting the larvae. Selecting plants that attract both larvae and adult butterflies will ensure generations of butterflies returning for years to come.

Yarrow
Wild Onion
Serviceberry
Columbine
Showy Milkweed
Aster
Camas
Western Bleeding Heart
Flea Bane
Oregon sunshine
Oceanspray
Penstemon
Cascara
Mock Orange
Checker Mallow
Spirea

Plants That Attract Hummingbirds

Not only are hummingbirds adorable they are fantastic pollinators. Attracting year-round interest can be accomplished by planting for the season. Below is a short list of the plant which will attract year-round interest to hummingbirds.

Columbine
Fireweed
Honeysuckle
Indian Paintbrush
Oregon Grape
Penstemon (all species)
Spirea
Western Bleeding Heart
Wild Current/Gooseberry

To set your landscape abuzz with life-attracting butterflies, bees and hummingbirds; a general rule-of-thumb is to stick to native plants. Creating habitats that offer protection are also a great way to ensure they stick around. Another important factor is minimizing the use of insecticides and pesticides in your landscape. For more information on how to accomplish this, read our blog on organic landscaping by clicking here.