Plants for Bees

Last week George and I went to see a movie called Queen of the Sun.  The movie is about the recent population decline of bees.  Many bees around the world have been suffering from colony collapse disorder and scientists are struggling to understand the causes.  Some suggest a combination of factors might be causing the collapse of many colonies including mites, disease (often spread by commercial bees), pesticides, and habitat loss due to large monocultures.

You might ask, "But how does this affect me?"  Did you know that 4 of 10 bites of food you eat were pollinated by bees?  It does not bode well for us if the bees die.  As Einstein put it, "If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live....No more bees, no more pollination, ...no more men!"

I almost didn't want to see the movie because sometimes I feel overwhelmed by these kinds of movies.  I have a tendency to want to bury my head in the sand and hope that it goes away.  But the movie had a message of hope and I highly suggest you see it if you get the chance.

"But what can we do to help?"  you might be thinking.  Well, if you are interesting in bee-keeping I encourage you to look into it.  There are many resources available for those interested in raising both honeybees and native bees.  For those of us who aren't quite ready for that I suggest planting plants in your yard that are good nectar or pollen sources for bees.  I came up with the list below as a starter (the list is not exhaustive!).  This list includes plants that are good for bees and native to Ohio (except for Mahonia which is native to the northwest). 

Native Ohio Plants Beneficial to Bees

American Basswood - Tilia americana

American Elderberry - Sambucus canadensis

Beard-tongue - Penstemon

Beebalm - Monarda

Black Huckleberry - Gaylussacia baccata

Black Locust - Robinia pseudoacacia

Black-eyed Susan - Rudbeckia hirta

Bladdernut - Staphylea trifolia

Blazing Star - Liatris

Blue Wild Indigo - Baptisia australis

Butterfly Weed - Asclepias

Crabapple - Malus

Cup Plant - Silphium

Giant Hyssop - Agastache

Goldenrod - Solidago

Honeylocust -  Gleditsia tracantus

Ironweed - Veronia altissima

Joe-pye weed - Eupatorium

Lobelia - Lobelia

Lupine - Lupine perennis

Milkweed - Asclepias

New England Aster - Aster novae-angliae

New Jersey Tea - Ceanothus americanus

Obedient Plant - Physostegia

Oregon grape (native to northwest) - Mahonia aquifolium

Purple coneflower - Echinacea

Rattlesnake Master - Eryngium

Redbud - Cercis canadensis

Rhododendron - Rhododendron

Sage - Salvia lyrata

Spiderwort - Trandescantia

Steeplebush - Spiraea tomentosa

Stonecrop - Sedum

Sunflower - Helianthus

Tulip Tree - Liriodendron tulipifera

Willow - Salix

If you don't live in Ohio I suggest googling native plants to your area.  The following websites are great resources:

Northern Nectar Sources for Honeybees

Upper Midwest Plants for Native Bees

Attracting Beneficial Insects with Native Flowering Plants

Attracting More Bees and Pollinators to Your Garden

Native Landscaping for Birds, Bees, Butterflies and Other Wildlife

Ohio Native Plants

Native Ohio Plants

Wildflowers Native to Ohio

Selecting Plants for Pollinators

The Xerxes Society: Red List of Bees