Why are pollinators important? Pollination is a key stage in the sexual reproduction of flowering plants. Pollination allows plants to reproduce, providing us with the foliage, fruits and seeds that we eat and much of the flora within our natural environment, gardens and parks. Pollinators are extremely important because they play a significant role in the world’s food production process.
Just what are our pollinators anyway? Flies, beetles, moths, butterflies, bees and a few other insects and hummingbirds, of course.
Also, in the Southwest, bats help pollinate. The next time you are sipping a margarita or anything containing tequila, remember to thank the fruit bats for pollinating agave plants. Fruit bats also pollinate mangoes, avocados, dates, figs, bananas and other fruits in more distant tropical climates. So bats don’t entirely deserve their bad rap.
Fun fact: Aside from hummingbirds, the only other pollinating bird in North America is the honeycreeper, found only in Hawaii.
Some plants are wind-pollinated, but most depend on insects and birds. We really need these little guys to transfer pollen grains from one flower to the stigma of another, helping plants to successfully reproduce. Think of pollen as “magic dust” that makes pollination possible rather than as the dirty yellow stuff that falls on your car and makes people with allergies miserable.
What is more pleasant to watch than bees buzzing and butterflies fluttering from flower to flower in your garden – or flower pot? You also may see one hummingbird dive-bombing another in pursuit of a lobelia or some other type of tubular-shaped bloom on occasion which is very entertaining.
Bees have a keen sense of smell in their antennae they use to locate flowers and other bees. They prefer mild, sweet fragrances, and although they seem to be most attracted to blue, yellow and bright white flowers, bee biologists are not really certain if they can actually distinguish colors or see only in black and white.
Bees have a specialized proboscis – a tube-like tongue they use to suck up nectar from the flower. Bumblebees have an especially hairy tongue they use like a mop to acquire nectar and bees are the only pollinators that deliberately gather pollen because they mix it with the nectar they collect to make “bee bread” for their brood. In a nutshell, if you want to attract bees to help with ever-so-important plant pollination, plant flowers like alyssum, asters, bachelor buttons, bee balm, candytuft, forgot-me-nots, heliotrope, sunflowers, sweet william and zinnias.
Butterflies are much less efficient than bees at the business of pollination, but are delightful to observe. They come in gorgeous colors and are captivating to watch as they flutter among the blooms. They especially like flat-topped flowers like daisies and zinnias to rest on. And because they have a long proboscis, they can reach into flowers that many bees cannot access, tightly clustered flowers like heliotrope and marigolds for instance. Butterflies, unlike bees, can see the color red. This is why you tend to see butterflies resting on brightly-colored red, purple and pink flowers that bees tend to pass by. They are also attracted to blossoms that are bright yellow and orange. Butterflies are important pollinators of both wild and cultivated flowers, especially asters, goldenrod, dahlias and dogbane.
Hummingbirds feed on nectar from our flowers and they also consume insects. They particularly require nectar to maintain their energetic lifestyle. They also have a long proboscis and are able to extract nectar from deep within the tubular blossoms of many shrubs and vines and for which they are specifically adapted.
Favorite dining spots for hummingbirds? Since hummers typically feed while hovering, they prefer flowers that stick out from the plant’s foliage by either protruding or dangling, providing them with air space for their rapidly beating wings. Fuchsia, penstemon, petunias and salvias in bright colors are favorites although they are happy to sip nectar from almost any hue — the brighter colors are simply easier for them to see from a distance. Begonias, nicotiana, sweet william and zinnias are other annuals they enjoy. Pollen attaches to the feathers on a hummingbird’s head and back as it feeds and then it either brushes or falls off when it goes to the next flower.
I just love to watch a hummingbird squeeze its little proboscis and seemingly half its little body inside the tubular blossoms of my morning glories, petunias and mandevillas.
All three pollinators enjoy the zinnia flower.
You do not need to have a big flower garden to attract these wonderful nectar-gathering creatures. Hanging plants containing fuchsia, impatiens, lantana, petunias, verbena and any combination thereof will be “hummingbird and butterfly magnets” as well as attractive outdoor accents to your home.
Containers filled with pollinator-friendly flowers can easily and beautifully serve as a pollinator-enticing “buffet table.” Mix and match the flowers that will attract bees, butterflies or hummingbirds in one or more flower pots, window boxes, etc., and you are sure to have a gathering spot that both you and these little nectar-loving fliers can both enjoy all summer.
(Joyce Kimball is a member and former president of the Bow Garden Club and the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs and a UNH Cooperative Extension-trained Master Gardener.)