Pollinators

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Pollinators and Pollinator-

Friendly Plants

Natalia Bjorklund

Extension Educator

Dodge County

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

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Without Pollination… Alfalfa

Peaches

Almond

Apples

Peppermint

Apricot

Pumpkins

Avocado

Raspberry/Blackberry

Banana

Blueberries

Strawberries

Agave

Coffee

Tomatoes

Coconut

Vanilla

Figs

Grapes

Grapefruit

Kiwifruit

Macadamia Nuts

Sugarcane

Cherries

Tea Plants University of Nebraska–Lincoln

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Who cares! I don’t like grapes!

No raisins

No grape juice

No wine!!


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Direct vs Indirect Pollination

Pepper plants flower = are pollinated, = fruit

develops = we eat the fruit

*Direct*

Bees pollinate alfalfa = Dairy cows eat alfalfa = Dairy

cows give us milk, eggs, cheese

*Indirect*


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Pollinators of Nebraska

Flies

Beetles

Moths/Butterflies

Bees

Bats, Wind, etc.

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Why do insects feed on flowers?

Pollen = Protein

Nectar = Carbohydrates


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Flies Order Diptera

Diptera = from the Greek di = two, and ptera =

wings


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Robber Fly


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Hover Fly

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Fly vs. Bee


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What the flies go for..

Pale and dull to dark brown or purple flowers

Strong odor, not always pleasant (to us)

Flowers are funnel-shaped

Pawpaw


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Beetles

Order Coleoptera

from the Greek, meaning "sheath"; and, pteron,

meaning "wing“

Thus = "sheathed wing", because most beetles

have two pairs of wings, the front pair, the

"elytra", being hardened and thickened into a

sheath-like


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Checkered Beetle


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Tumbling Flower Beetle


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Long-horned beetle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elytron

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What the beetles like..

White, to dull white or green flowers

Strongly scented

Open during the day


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Moths and Butterflies

Lepidoptera Order

‘scale’ and ‘wing’


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Clearwing Moth


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Hummingbird Hawk Moth


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Sphinx Moths


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Fritillaries

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Pipevine Swallowtail


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Painted Lady


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Flowers for Moths and

Butterflies

In clusters and provide landing platforms

White or dull colors for moths, bright colors for

butterflies (red, orange, yellow)

Open late afternoon or night for moths

Open during the day for butterflies

Ample nectar producers, with nectar deeply hidden


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Bees

Hymenoptera Order

from the Ancient Greek (hymen): membrane and

(pteron): wing; membranous wing


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Nectar Guides

Human View Bee’s View


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Leafcutter bees

Leafcutter bees are native bees

Leafcutter bees are not aggressive

Leafcutter bees nest in soft, rotted wood or in the

stems of large, pithy plants, like raspberries

Collect pollen on undersides of their abdomen


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Leafcutter Bees


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Orchard Mason Bee

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Bumblebees


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Honeybees


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Sweat Bees


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Sweat Bees

Sweat bees have diverse nest types

The area around the clusters sometimes is

excavated

Cells usually are lined with a waxy substance likely

extruded from the bee's Dufour's gland (a gland

found on the underside of the abdomen).

About half of the species are dull to metallic black,

with the remaining species being metallic green,

blue or purple

Females carry pollen on the tibia and femur of their

hind legs

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European Wool Carder Bee


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Carpenter Bee

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Squash Bee


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For the Bees..

Lots of nectar

Brightly colored petals that are often blue or yellow

Sweetly fragrant

Open in daytime

Landing platforms

Often bilaterally symmetrical

Flowers that are often tubular with nectar at base of

tube

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Pollinator-Friendly Plants


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Three types

Nectar sources

Pollen sources

Larval food sources


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Important things to remember

Larvae eat plant material!

But larvae turn into other things!!!

Plant material is just part of a pollinator-friendly

habitat

Water source

Chemical usage

Open soil

Multi-season plantings


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‘Weeds’ that are great for

pollinators

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Clover


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Bird’s Foot Trefoil


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Dandelion


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Chickweed


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Henbit


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Henbit

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Wild Carrot


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Speedwell


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Chicory


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‘Garden’ plants for pollinators


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Spring

Woody:

Red Maple

Redbud

Black Locust

Tuliptree

Rhododendron

Alder

Cherry

Common Hackberry

Dogwood

Cotoneaster

Elm

Hazelnut

Hawthorn

Ohio Buckeye

Pear

Plum

Willow

Serviceberry

Sycamore

Ash

Yellowwood University of Nebraska–Lincoln

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Spring, continued

Herbaceous

Ajuga

Crocus

Dandelion

Clover

Henbit

Lungwort

Mustards

Candytuft

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Summer

Woody:

Sourwood

Butterfly bush

Linden

Chokeberry

Blackberry

Blackhaw viburnum

Catalpa

Elderberry

Raspberry

Roses

Snowberry


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Summer, continued

Herbaceous

Beebalm

Sunflower

Purple coneflower

Phlox

Wood Mint

Germander

Cup Rosinweed

Milkweed

Partridge Pea

Alyssum

Viper’s Bugloss

Joe-pye weed

Borage

Prairie Coneflower

Catmint

Chives

Globe Thistle

Horehound

Lavender


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More summer….

Still herbaceous..

Leadwort

Mallow

Oregano

Pot Marigold

(Calendula)

Russian Sage

Figwort

Self-heal

Thyme

Mountain Bluet

Sages

Verbena

bonariensis*

Thistle*


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Fall

Herbaceous

Asters

Goldenrod

Sweet Autumn

Clematis


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Butterfly larva and their host

Aster – Pearl Crescent

Birch -- Mourning Cloak

Clover – Sulphurs, Hairstreaks

Dill -- Black Swallowtail

Cottonwood -- Tiger Swallowtail

Hibiscus -- Checkered Skipper

Hollyhock -- Painted Lady, Comma, Checkered

Skipper

Parsley – Black Swallowtail

Snapdragon -- Buckeye


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Black Swallowtail

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Common Buckeye


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Mourning Cloak


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Viceroy


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Things to Remember..

Native plants are best.. Especially for native insects

Single flowers are usually preferred over doubles

Flowers that have multiple flowers per stem give

more food in a small space

Often varieties or cultivars have been bred for us,

not pollinators

Purchase straight species when possible

i.e. Alcea rosea (hollyhock) rather than Alcea

rosea ‘Charter’s Red’


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Other Resources

Caterpillars of Eastern North America: A Guide to

Identification and Natural History (Princeton Field

Guides)

Attracting Native Pollinators: The Xerces Society

Guide, Protecting North America's Bees and

Butterflies

Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska and the Great

Plains: Second Edition

Xerces Society

Pollinator Partnership


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Bee Corps

Contact me!

402.727.2775

[email protected]

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Questions?


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Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture

and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–

Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United

States Department of Agriculture.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension educational

programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of

the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United

States Department of Agriculture.

Pollinators

Education