I do love the Autumn Asters in my yard and the constant buzzing of pollinators around them - I, also, have several chrysanthemums planted that come back every year and when area nurseries bring out new colors, I'm so tempted. So let's talk...
Some main points:
- Pollination is the process that takes place when pollen is moved between flowers for successful seed and food production and ensures that a plant or tree will produce mature fruit and a viable set of seeds that are capable of germination. What do birds and bees have to do with this? Birds, domestic honeybees, butterflies, and other insects and animals are responsible for the moving of the pollen among the flowers. Without the pollinators, there is no plant growth.
- Pollinators prefer some flowers over others, a concept known as Pollinator Syndromes. For example, because a butterfly has a long, slender mouth part (proboscis), they prefer flowers that are long and tube-like, also think hummingbirds. Some flies, on the other hand, have short, round mouth parts much like a sponge. For these pollinators and most bees, a wide-open flower is preferred. Or, for other pollinators, like moths, a flower that is open at night is preferred because that is when moths are active.
- My primary goal is to create a backyard ecology that promotes all pollinators - bees, birds, mammals, reptiles, insects - with plants that sustain them - whether native or non-native throughout the flowering seasons.
One of my go-to resources is Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy. He believes that "every homeowner can turn their yards into conservation corridors" that promote diversity with native plants as well as other cultivars that contribute to the food web.
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| Echinacea choices - Tufts Pollinator Initiative |
Some cultivars have been removed from evolutionary history with insects; humans have bred cultivars in labs and greenhouses to meet our aesthetic preferences. And sometimes, by selecting for traits that we deem impressive, like double or triple petals, we inadvertently produce plants that broadcast false advertising and eliminate access. Recent work has demonstrated how cultivars—even ones that look quite visually similar—can vary dramatically in the abundance and diversity of insects that they are able to support, so it’s important to choose carefully. References from Tufts Pollinator Initiative article are in the link below.
While cultivars are great for people, they are not always great for pollinators. According to Tufts Pollinator Initiative, native plants and their pollinators share a long evolutionary history, and many flowers have evolved particular traits that signal honest advertisements of a high quality food resources. For instance, the smell and color of wild geranium tell a bee that nectar and pollen awaits and the dark lines on the petals help them to quickly locate their meal.
However, some pollinators are "generalists" that will feed on a variety of nectars and pollens. That explains why you'll see bees, butterflies and other insects flying around such non-natives as butterfly bush, catmint, lavender, sedum, salvia, Russian sage, mints, lantana, pentas, daisies, alyssum and zinnias. See Cornell Cooperative Extension list for more. Although pollinators prefer natives, says Tallamy, "If their mouthparts work, they don't care if it's native or non-native."
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| My new favorite bush Caryopteris 'Blue Mist' |
Potted greenhouse mums that we see everywhere this time of year are not bred for their pollen, nectar, or accessibility to pollinators. Most are bred to have multiple petals which reduce accessibility to pollinators. Some good features about these mums is that they are bushy and provide cover for a variety of predators and parasites that naturally keep plant pests under control. Try an old fashioned Mum instead...or Autumn Asters...or Autumn Sedum!