100 Plants to Feed the Bees

The international bee crisis is threatening our global food supply, but this user-friendly field guide shows what you can do to help protect our pollinators. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation offers browsable profiles of 100 common flowers, herbs, shrubs, and trees that support bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. The recommendations are simple: pick the right plants for pollinators, protect them from pesticides, and provide abundant blooms throughout the growing season by mixing perennials with herbs and annuals! 100 Plants to Feed the Bees will empower homeowners, landscapers, apartment dwellers - anyone with a scrap of yard or a window box - to protect our pollinators. In an at-a-glance, photo-driven format, 100 Plants to Feed the Bees presents 100 nectar- and pollen-rich plants that home gardeners can cultivate to create a more bee-friendly world.
The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon, that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Established in 1971, the Society is at the forefront of invertebrate protection worldwide, harnessing the knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to implement conservation programs. They are the authors of 100 Plants to Feed the Bees, Farming with Native Beneficial Insects, and Attracting Native Pollinators.    Preface: What's Old Is New

Plants and Pollinators: An Overview

Pollinators and Pesticides

Icon Key

1  Native Wildflowers

  Anise Hyssop, Giant Hyssop

  Aster

  Beebalm

  Black-Eyed Susan

  Blanketflower

  Blazing Star

  Blue Curls

  Blue Vervain

  California Poppy

  Clarkia

  Coreopsis

  Culver's Root

  Cup Plant, Compass Plant, Rosinweed

  Figwort

  Fireweed

  Globe Gilia

  Goldenrod

  Gumweed

  Ironweed

  Joe-Pye Weed, Boneset

  Lobelia

  Lupine

  Meadowfoam

  Milkweed

  Mountainmint

  Native Thistle

  Penstemon

  Phacelia

  Prairie Clover

  Purple Coneflower

  Rattlesnake Master, Eryngo

  Rocky Mountain Bee Plant

  Salvia

  Selfheal

  Sneezeweed

  Spiderwort

  Sunflower

  Waterleaf

  Wild Buckwheat

  Wild Geranium

  Wild Indigo

  Wingstem

  Wood Mint

2  Native Trees and Shrubs

  Acacia

  Basswood

  Blackberry, Raspberry

  Black Locust

  Blueberry

  Buckwheat Tree

  Buttonbush

  Chamise

  Coyotebrush

  False Indigo, Leadplant

  Golden Currant

  Inkberry

  Madrone

  Magnolia

  Manzanita

  Mesquite

  Ocean Spray

  Oregon Grape

  Rabbitbrush

  Redbud

  Rhododendron

  Rose

  Saw Palmetto

  Serviceberry

  Sourwood

  Steeplebush, Meadowsweet

  Toyon

  Tulip Tree

  Tupelo

  Wild Lilac

  Willow

  Yerba Santa

3  Introduced Trees and Shrubs

  Orange

  Plum, Cherry, Almond, Peach

4  Introduced Herbs and Ornamentals

  Basil

  Borage

  Catnip

  Coriander

  Cosmos

  Hyssop

  Lavender

  Mint

  Oregano

  Rosemary

  Russian Sage

  Thyme

5  Native and Nonnative Bee Pasture Plants

  Alfalfa

  Buckwheat

  Clover

  Cowpea

  Mustard

  Partridge Pea

  Radish

  Sainfoin

  Scarlet Runner Bean

  Sweetclover

  Vetch

Average Number of Flower and Herb Seeds per Pound Plant for Pollinators



The first simple step toward protecting our pollinators is to provide the flowers they need, using no pesticides. With abundant native wildflowers, your task is even simpler: don't mow them down! This field guide identifies the plants that honey bees and native bees – as well as butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds – find most nutritious, including flowers, trees, shrubs, herbs, and pasture plants. With guidance from the Xerces Society, the global authority on insects and other inve