Attract Pollinators to Your Garden

Without pollinators, our gardens would not survive, along with many other factors that would be affected without bees, birds, and beneficial insects. For plants to grow and produce, we rely on pollinators to transfer pollen from plant to plant to produce fruit, vegetables, and trees. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds add so much life to our yards and even though we just see them flying around, they are hard at work gathering the pollen for their use, which benefits us in helping our plants. It is also essential to creating a strong, healthy ecosystem.

Pollination Process

So what is pollination and how is it done? Pollination is the process of transferring pollen grains from the male plant’s anther to the female plant’s stigma, which then helps the process of the plant creating seeds to continue the species. If pollination does not happen, many species of plants would cease to exist. While the pollinator is busy collecting pollen or drinking nectar from one flower, the pollen grains attach to the pollinator and when it goes to the next flower to continue its process, it deposits the pollen grains onto the next plant, resulting in reproduction of the flower. Once the pollen is on the stigma of the female plant, the pollen will germinate, forming a pollen tube that grows down into the ovule of the plant.

Types of Pollinators

The most common pollinators that most recognize are bees, butterflies, and birds. But there are many other types of pollinators such as flies, bats, beetles, and even rodents, and lizards. Bees are the most commonly known, and there are many different species of bees that help with the process, including those pesky wasps. Pollination can also be done by humans if needed, but allowing nature to do its work is the most beneficial way to ensure the ecosystem continues to follow its process as humans would not be able to keep up with the amount of pollination that pollinators do. They are able to easily fly from one flower or plant to the next while also taking what they need to survive and eat.

What We Can Do to Attract Pollinators to Our Gardens

To ensure that we have pollinators around for a long time, we need to create safe areas to allow these insects and mammals to survive and continue to do their work. Not using pesticides is a major factor to ensure their safety. There are many ways to safely reduce weeds and fertilize without using harsh chemicals that are the main cause of pollinators dying. Planting native plants and flowers in your garden will attract pollinators to your yard and give them lots of food sources. Types of native plants in our area include coneflower, sedum, lavender, aster, and many berry plants and fruit-producing trees. By planting native species, not only is safe for pollinators, but they will be drought-tolerant and hardy, ensuring that they are long-lasting. There are also little things we can have in our garden to help the bees and insects by having a shallow dish filled with rocks or marbles, so the bees are able to drink water without falling into deep water. Building a “bug hotel” will give beetles and other insects a safe place to live. If your yard has enough flowers and food sources, you don’t need to use hummingbird feeders, which can harbor bacteria and could harm the birds. Giving them a natural source is the best option for them, and the flowers in your yard will give them everything they need for survival.