Pollinators and Nectar Producing Plants Provide Us With Delicious Foods and Beautiful Landscapes   A pollinator is any animal that acts as an agent for distributing pollen from plant to plant. Pollinators ensure full harvests and seed production from many agricultural crops and provide for healthy plants grown in backyards, community gardens, and rural and urban areas. Populations of insect pollinators such as butterflies and bees have declined dramatically in recent years. Even though we'd all be in trouble without pollinators, many people ignore their value and at worst eradicate them with indiscriminate pesticide application and habitat destruction. Pollinators are worth protecting for their own sakes, but we would do well to remember that these creatures facilitate reproduction in 90% of the world's flowering plants, and that--on average--one in every three bites of food we humans take comes courtesy of an animal pollinator.

When people think of pollination, many focus on bees. In many cases the use of insecticides for pest control has had the unwelcome side effect of killing the bees necessary for pollinating crops. Such environmental stresses plus several species of parasitic mites devastated honeybee populations in the United States beginning in the 1980s, making it necessary for farmers to rent bees from keepers throughout the U.S. in order to get their crops pollinated and greatly affecting the pollination of plants in the wild. Bees are the principal pollinators, but there are other important pollinators as well. These include other insects such as flies, moths, butterflies, wasps, and even some beetles. They also include hummingbirds and bats.

Creating an enjoyable and environmentally friendly backyard habitat helps support all valuable pollinators.  When the garden is blooming, avoid using pesticides that can harm the wildlife you’re trying to attract. To draw butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators to your yard, select nectar-rich plants that are diverse in color and that bloom at different times to support these creatures all year long. For maximum bloom, plant the bed in a sheltered, wind protected area that receives full sun and has well-drained soil.       A small puddle in a sunny spot will provide butterflies with adequate liquids, salts and nutrients. Butterflies find purple, yellow, orange, pink, and red especially appealing, but the best way to attract them is to plant a variety of flowers, shrubs and vines that bloom throughout the growing season. Many butterflies have very specific food requirements. Often the host plant for the caterpillar isn’t the same nectar plant for the adult butterfly of the same species. To be a successful butterfly gardener you must provide both the host and nectar plants that the butterfly species in your area prefer to eat.

Many hummingbirds are attracted to red, orange and pink tubular or cupped flowers, which accommodate their long, thin beaks. These include penstemon, columbine, delphinium, bee balm, butterfly bush, red salvias, impatiens, hollyhock, petunia and fuchsia. A garden sprinkler or mister can provide a source of water for hummingbirds in your garden. Encourage nesting by planting large twiggy shrubs nearby.

Native plants: For easier maintenance of your wildlife habitat landscapes consider using native plants. Native plants are adapted to local weather and soil conditions, they better resist local insects and diseases, and they provide foods that are familiar and timed to the life cycles of the animals in the region. Using native plants also reduces the potential for introducing invasive exotics that can cause serious problems to existing native populations. As invasive non-native plants spread, they may crowd out and compete with natives, causing some wildlife to lose their preferred, and much needed food and nesting sources.

Nectar Producing Plants that will Grow in Nevada County, USDA Zone 7* California Natives that will grow in Zone 7 Annuals/Perennials Achillea millefolium                               Common Yarrow Aquilegia eximia                                   Serpentine Columbine Aquilegia formosa                                Western Columbine Asclepias californica                             California Milkweed Aster chilensis                                     California Aster Clarkia bottae                                      Farewell-to-spring, Godetia Clarkia unguiculata                                Mountain Garland Clematis ligusticifolia                             Western White Clematis Cynoglossum grande                             Western Hounds Tongue Delphinium cardinale                              Scarlet Larkspur Iris douglasiana                                    Douglas Iris Lathyrus vestitus                                  Wild Pea Lupinus polyphyllus or L. argenteus          Lupine Mimulus cardinalis                                 Scarlet Monkey Flower Mimulus spp.                                        Monkey Flower Penstemon centranthifolius                     Scarlet Bugler Salvia spathacea                                   Hummingbird Sage Sedum spathulifolium Stonecrop Solidago californica                                California Goldenrod Zauschneria californica                           California Fuchsia   Shrubs Arctostaphylos spp.                               Manzanita Calycanthus occidentalis                         Spice Bush Ceanothus spp.                                    California Mountain Lilac Ceanothus cuneatus                              Sierra Buckbrush Cercis occidentalis                                Western Redbud Eriogonum bailey                                   Annual Field Buckwheat Heteromeles arbutifolia                          Christmas Berry or Toyon Mahonia dictyota Philadelphus lewisii                                Wild Mock Orange Potentilla glandulosa nevadensis              Nevada Cinquefoil Rhamnus californica                              Coffeeberry Rhododendron occidentale                     Western Azalea Rhus trilobata                                      Squawbush **Ribes spp.                                        Currant, Gooseberry Sambucus spp.                                    Elderberry   Trees Acer macrophyllum                              Big Leaf Maple Acer negundo californicum                    California Box Elder Aesculus californica                             California Buckeye Arbutus menziesii                                Madrone Salix spp.                                           Willow   **Ribes species are carriers for White Pine Blister Rust, avoid planting Ribes above 3,000 ft. elevation. *** Some references list California Buckeye as poisonous to honey bees. Common Nursery Annuals/Perennials OK in Zone 7 Agapanthus spp.                                Lily of the Nile Antirrhinum majus                             Snapdragon Armeria spp.                                    Thrift Asclepias tuberosa                             Butterfly Weed Astilbe spp.                                      False Spirea Borago officianalis                              Borage Centranthus ruber                             Jupiter’s Beard Chrysanthemum maximum                 Shasta Daisy Coreopsis lanceolata or C.rosea Cosmos bipinnatus                             Cosmos Delphinium.belladonna or D. elatum Dianthus spp.                                    Pinks Echinacea purpurea                            Purple Coneflower Echinops exaltatus                             Globe Thistle Erigeron speciousus                            Fleabane Gallarida grandiflora                            Blanket Flower Heuchera sanguinea                           Coral Bells Iberis sempervirens                           Candytuft Lathyrus oderatus                             Sweet Pea Liatrus spicata                                  Gayfeather Lobelia erinus or L. cardinalis Lobularia maritima                            Sweet Alyssum Monardadidyma or M. fistulosa            Bee Balm Oregano vulgare                               Oregano Penstemon spp.        (check zone)       Beardtongue Phlox drummondii                             Annual Phlox            Rudbeckia hirta                                Gloriosa Daisy Salvia splendens                               Scarlet Sage Sedum spectabile                             Sedum Scabiosa atropurpurea                      Pincushion Flower Sidalcea malviflora                           Checkerbloom   Common Nursery Shrubs OK in Zone 7 Abelia grandflora                             Glossy Abelia Buddliea davidii                               Butterfly Bush Campsis radicans                            Trumpet Vine Caryopteris incana                          Blue Spirea Choisya ternate                              Mexican Orange Clethra alnifolia                              Summersweet Escallonia spp.         Lavendula (check zone)                   Lavender Lonicera (check zone)                     Honeysuckle Philadelphus                                   Mock Orange Rhododendron          (check zone) Syringa spp.                                  Lilac Weigela florida                               Weigela     * USDA Hardiness zones in Nevada County range from about zone 9 to zone 5; zone 7 is an average.

Websites for further study: Pollinator Partnership - www.pollinator.org California Native Plant Society – Butterfly Host and Nectar Plants www.cnps.org/gallery/callahan/ Las Pilitas Nursery – Butterflies, hummingbirds and many native California plants. www.laspilitas.com/ Clipart of butterflies and other animals http://butterflywebsite.com/clipart/index.cfm