Native Plants for Your Garden
Plants for Small Native Bees
The Bees: There are about 4,000 native bee species in North America and 458 in Virginia. Although bumblebees and carpenter bees are important pollinators, this article deals with small bees ranging in size from 0.2-0.9 inches with names such as cellophane, cuckoo, digger, leafcutter, long-horned, mason, and sweat. They live 3 to 6 weeks as adults and come in a jewel box of colors – metallic-green, bottle blue, gold, brown and glossy black.
Various species are active from early spring, in weather too cold for our non-native honeybees, through late fall. Ninety percent are solitary, and, with no family to defend, don’t sting. Around 70 percent nest in underground tunnels, and the rest build nests above ground in tunnels in rotting wood and in the hollow stems of plants. Most are generalists and gather nectar and pollen from many plant species, and others, called specialists (96 species in the Mid-Atlantic), have co-evolved with a specific plant species or genus and gather its pollen to feed their young.
As pollinators, these tiny creatures certainly punch above their weight. In farm fields, natural areas, meadows, and backyard flower and vegetable gardens, they are two to three times more effective than honeybees. Like all insect species, their numbers are declining due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change. As gardeners, we can help ensure the survival of these fascinating and essential pollinators by providing nectar and pollen plants and nesting support.
The Plants: Generally, small native bees visit small flowers including ones preferred by other pollinators. They need nectar and pollen from early February or March through mid-November and are attracted to yellow, blue, and white flowers with a sweet fragrance. The following plants support the most species; especially important ones are in bold type. In many cases, closely related species are equally beneficial.
Trees and shrubs:
Amorpha fruticosa, False Indigo; Ceanothus americanus, New Jersey Tea; Cercis canadensis, Redbud; Cornus amonnum, Silky Dogwood; Diospyros virginiana, Persimmon; Hypericum prolificum, Shrubby St. John’s Wort; Prunus americana, American Plum; P. serotina, Black Cherry; Salix discolor, Pussy Willow; S. nigra, Black Willow; Vaccinium corymbosum, Highbush Blueberry and V. pallidum, Lowbush Blueberry (blueberries support 2 specialists)
Sun perennials:
Allium cernuum, Nodding Onion; Blephilia ciliata, Downy Wood Mint; Eryngium yuccafolium, Rattlesnake Master; Helenium autumnale, Sneezeweed or Helen’s Flower; Helianthus spp., Sunflowers; Monarda fistulosa, Wild Bergamot; Oenothera biennis, Common Evening Primrose; Pycanthemum spp., Mountain Mint; Rudbeckia laciniata, Green-headed Coneflower; Solidago/Euthania graminifolia, Grass-leaved Goldenrod; Symphyotrichum pilosus, Frost Aster (asters support several specialists); Vernonia noveboracensis, New York Ironweed; Veronicanstrum virginicum, Culver’s Root; Zizia aurea, Golden Alexanders
Sun/shade perennials:
Cardamine diphylla, Toothwort; Erigeron pulchellus, Robin’s Plantain; Eurybia spp. WoodAsters; Geranium maculatum, Wild Geranium; Hydrophylla virginiana, Virginia Waterleaf; Lobelia siphilitica, Blue Lobelia; Osmorhiza claytonia, Sweet Cicely; Packera aurea, GoldenRagwort (also supports a specialist); Penstemon digitalis, Beardtongue (also supports a specialist); Polemonium reptans, Jacob’s Ladder (also supports a specialist); Ruellia caroliniensis, Wild Petunia; and Viola striata, Cream Violet
A few more important plants:
Claytonia virginica, Spring Beauty; Hepatica acutiloba, Sharp-lobed Hepatica; Mertensia
virginica, Virginia Bluebells, Sanguinaria canadensis, Bloodroot and Thalictrum thalictroides,
Rue Anemone, supply nectar and pollen for species that are active in early spring.
Heuchera americana, Alumroot, supports a rare specialist cellophane bee.
Oenothera fructicosa, Sundrops, supports the Primrose Miner Bee.
Rhododendron spp., Native Azaleas, support the Andrena corelli specialist bee.
Uvularia grandiflora, Bellwort, supports the rare specialist Andrena Uvularia.
Nesting help:
Leave areas of bare ground (preferably facing southeast) for ground nesting bees. In the fall, cut hollow-stemmed plants – swamp milkweed, mountain mint, Joe-pye, rattlesnake master, ironweed, cup plant, beebalm – off at 6-8” for aboveground nesting bees. Check periodically to see if they contain nests (stems will be sealed) and leave until young bees have emerged. Mason and leafcutter bees and possibly other species will use nest boxes.
Sources consulted for this article:
Attracting Native Pollinators, Xerces Society Guide, Eric Mader, et al, 2011; www.xerces.org for
more information and a downloadable fact sheet, Nests for Native Bees.
Mt. Cuba Native Bee Survey, 2018-2019. Two natural areas and the gardens were surveyed, and
more bees were found in the gardens than in the natural areas.
Planting for Wildlife in Northern Virginia, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, 2020
Photo courtesy of Missouri Botanical Gerden. Calico Aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum)
is one of several native fall-blooming asters in our area. A few weeks ago, one blooming in my garden was literally covered with various small native bee species. Blue-stemmed or wreath goldenrod (Solidago caesia) also attracted many species. My best non-native plants for small bees are Catmints and Calamints (Nepeta spp.).
Centennial Garden Club
Nancy Arrington
November 9, 2023
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