Pollinators are a Garden’s Best Friend

I love bugs! Actually, I love all animals. Bugs are just so amazing to me. All the detail in such a small creature, the importance of them in our ecosystems, and how intricate their interactions with one another has always been intriguing to me. I guess this is one of the main reasons I am a science type. One of my favorite pollinators to watch is the bumblebee…

Bumblebees tend to be easily attracted to our yard and prove to be great pollinators. Some of the flowers I spot them on our the cat mint, bee balm, crocuses, dandelions, lungwort and the bleeding heart.

I could not only watch these guys play in the flowers all day but I love to see them because I know my harvests will be better because of them. There are some plants that are pollinated by wind and that is great, but it seems that even more are pollinated by pollinators (ex. bumblebees, honey bees, hummingbirds, etc.) That makes it really easy in my book to say that I need to do whatever it takes to make these pollinators attracted to my gardens, so what do I do? I put out a feast! I try to plant many different varieties of flowers. I want the flowers to bloom all throughout the season and I want many insects to want to feed. The larger the biodiversity the better as there is plenty of food for everyone, and then they can make the rounds to all the flowers on my “food” plants that need pollinating (ex. tomatoes, peppers, etc.)

I also enjoy having milkweed growing here as well. The flowers are amazing, the plants feed many insects and it attracts beautiful monarchs!

The best things about all these insects/pollinators being around is keeping this tiny ecosystem running around here. Everyone and everything keeps things in balance (like the little bug on the bottom right is only around to eat milkweed and keep it in check). I love that the bugs can help pollinate, and give me a more bountiful production! Can’t wait to see what these little critters give me again this year!

What are some of your favorite pollinators to see?