Plant for Pollinators
Set up a ‘nectar café’ by planting flowers for pollinating insects like bees and butterflies.
Many of our prettiest insects feed on nectar, so need flowering plants for their survival. Butterflies, moths, bees and hoverflies all need sources of nectar and pollen to thrive. As they travel from flower to flower, they also pollinate them, enabling them to set seed or bear fruit. So, setting up a nectar café benefits both your plants and you, allowing you to enjoy the flitting and fluttering of beautiful butterflies.
Bumblebees are vitally important for pollinating hundreds of plant species, including many crops. But they are under threat from the loss and degradation of our habitats due to pressures such as development, agricultural intensification and climate change.
Bumblebees look for certain types of flowers. Those with shorter tongues need short, open flowers, with nectar within easy reach. This includes flowers from the daisy family and alliums, which have a number of small flowers on one stalk. Bumblebees with long tongues can enjoy deeper flowers like honeysuckle.
More details can be found at: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/best-plants-bees-and-pollinators
The guide was created by the Wildlife Trusts.