The recent news of solving the mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder has brought out the necessity of protecting honeybees and pollination. But did you know that bees aren't the only pollinators? Here in Florida, we are fortunate to have many of Mother Nature's benefactors who keep us in blooms and food. It's important to re-establish native flowers, shrubs, and trees to encourage pollinator populations to increase.
Different species of insects, and different sizes of those insects have specific plants that are targeted along the pollinator's daily route. Flying insects like large bees, small bees, wasps, and beetles like Marsh mallow, Kostelezkya virginica , butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa , Black cherry, Prunus serotina, and winged sumac, Rhus copallina. Deer and horse flies are more familiar to Floridians as pests but are still important pollinators.
For more information, check out Hernando County's Florida Native Plant Society's article on Florida pollinators and their habitats by Sharon LaPlante.
Find out more about Florida native plants.
Florida native plant nurseries links:
- Association of Florida Native Nurseries
- Florida Native Plant Society
- Florida Native Plants - Sarasota
- Biosphere - Winter Garden
- B. B. Brown's Gardens - Clermont (352) 429-5566
- All Native Plants - San Antonio, FL
- Hawthorn Hill Native Wildflower and Rare Plant Nursery - Sarasota
- Sandhill Growers - wholesale
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