Encouraging Bees and Butterflies to Visit Your Garden

Bees and butterflies are great natural companions to your plants and blooms, not to mention their crucial roles as pollinators of healthy gardens. In fact, many of our favorite crops rely on these friendly visitors to thrive. 

One of the best ways to make them visit more often is to have a diverse selection of plants in your garden at different times or seasons. This not only makes your garden look good, but increases the timespan that pollinators have access to nectar as well. Make your backyard even more pollinator-friendly with the following simple hacks. 

Mix up your plants 

Grow plants of all shapes and colors, and flowers that bloom from spring to fall to make your garden more attractive to your pollinator friends. Grouping different varieties together in raised garden beds will also make it easier for bees and butterflies to stay.

A good way is to plant three to five types of pollinator plants together, grouping them throughout the garden. This will give you striking dashes of color, and make it easier for insects to find the food they need amongst your plants. 

Consider adding some host plants and wild blooms too, in order to attract butterflies and their larvae. Sometimes just leaving a spot in the garden with wild plants and flowers is an equally good tactic, as these will provide nutrition and shelter for pollinators, and they usually look great as well.

Pollinator-friendly flowers

Another crucial step to make your garden popular with bees and butterflies is to plant nectar and pollen-rich flowers, and even some wild blooms. Pick a good selection of perennials, annuals or shrubs to provide ample nectar and pollen for your pollinators throughout the year. In addition, consider incorporating plants like fennel or milkweed for their larvae to feed on.

Water is key 

If you live in a drier region with less moisture in the air, leaving some shallow pools or water spots in the garden will also encourage the presence of pollinating insects. Consider building islands in your water dishes or bird baths with some pebbles, so they can have some nice resting places on these bodies of water. Make sure to get rid of stagnant water though, as these can attract unwanted pests like mosquitoes. 

Insect hotels near water sources, with greenery on top are another great choice for keeping bees and butterflies around - providing shelter for them next to their favorite plants.

Limit pesticide use  

Pesticides are one of the greatest threats to pollinators, even though many gardeners opt to use these chemicals on their gardens to deter the presence of pests or animals. Some varieties like neonicotinoid pesticides are especially harmful and toxic to most insects, including bees and butterflies. They also spread through entire plants and planted areas, including the pollen and nectar that insects feed on. 

Instead of using chemicals, consider more old-fashioned tactics such as spraying down pests with a jet stream from your garden hose, or even picking them off your plants by hand to get the job done.