Tag: bees

Bee Lawns: What’s all the buzz about?

A bee lawn is a way to benefit pollinators in our landscapes by providing additional floral resources, and often utilizes a mix of low-growing flowering plants in addition to turf species. Although flower gardens also provide flowering plants for pollinators, bee lawns can be multi-functional in their usability for recreational purposes with the added benefit of providing food for bees.

Habitat loss is one of the major factors implicated in the global declines of native bee species. Providing resources utilized by these critical pollinators can assist in mitigating this. Research through University of Minnesota has found 50 species of bees utilizing the flowers in bee lawns.

The purpose of bee lawns includes providing nutritious sources of nectar and pollen for pollinators, especially in urban environments, where these resources can often be scarce and difficult to find. Additional factors include recreational usability, and reducing inputs, e.g., irrigation, nutrients, weed control, and time spent mowing. Flowering plants suited for bee lawns have a variety of common characteristics including: low-growing and flowering heights, perennial life cycles, the ability to persist with turf species, and tolerance of mowing and foot traffic.

An important consideration is that bee lawns don’t necessarily mean weedy lawns or no-maintenance lawns, but instead require different types of management and serve different functions than traditional turfgrass lawns.

Not all bee lawns are created equal, and some work better than others.

Here are some turfgrass species that can work well for bee lawns:

Cool-season turf

A mix of fine fescues (which includes species such as: creeping red fescue, chewings fescue, hard fescue, and sheep fescue) are some of the best options for bee lawns due to reduced needs for inputs including irrigation, fertilizer, and weed controls, in addition to their compatibility with flowering plants. That being said, fine fescues do not tolerate heavy foot traffic, and may not be a suitable option for turf varieties in areas with heavy recreational use.

Kentucky bluegrass (KBG) is another option for bee lawns, though it requires higher maintenance (including more frequent irrigation and fertilizer inputs). KBG is considered an invasive species in some areas so do your homework.

Warm-season turf

Although there is limited research currently available for warm season turfgrasses and their compatibility with flowering plants specifically for bee lawns, certain species require lower inputs and could be a good option.

Centipede grass is a suitable option for a low-maintenance warm season turf species, and has been utilized in studies evaluating early-spring flowering bulbs as part of a lawn ecosystem for pollinators (see resources for more information).

Bermudagrass can also be used with flowering plants, though it has higher input needs than centipede grass. For more detailed information on warm season turfgrass species suitable to your geographic area and their respective input needs, I would encourage you to reach out to your local and regional extension offices.

Here are examples of flowering plants that can work well with turfgrass species:

Dutch white clover (Trifolium repens)

Dutch white clover (often referred to as white clover or clover) is a common occurrence in many lawns. Although some consider this to be a weed, white clover can provide several benefits including its adaptability to many soil types, the ability to withstand some shade and foot traffic, and the added benefit of being able to fix its own nitrogen. Like its name suggests, white clover produces white (and sometimes pink) flowers, and grows to a height of 4-6 inches. In addition to its hardiness, white clover is also an excellent source of forage for bees due to its long bloom time, and the great quality of nectar (high sugar content) and pollen (high protein content).

Dutch white clover flowers in a lawn (Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org)

Creeping thyme (Thymus praecox)

Creeping thyme is related to some of our favorite culinary herbs, and produces fragrant purple/pink flowers. It has a low growth habit (<6 inches) and can tolerate some foot traffic. It performs best in well-drained sandy or loamy soils, and is also considered to be drought tolerant and deer-resistant.

Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris ssp. lanceolata)

Self-heal is native to North America, Europe and Asia, and research from University of Minnesota has shown that 95% of the pollinators that visited the flowers were native bee species. It produces purple flowers and does well in a variety of soil types (with the exception of sandy soils) and in sun or partial shade.

Self-heal flowering with turfgrass (Photo: John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org)

Common violet (Viola sororia)

Violets are another flower that some consider to be a weed in home lawns. These spring blooming yellow, purple, and white flowers can be a good source of nectar for pollinators such as butterflies and bees. Violets grow to heights of 4-8 inches, and do well in a variety of soil types in addition to sun and shade.

Purple flowers growing in grass
Violets growing in a lawn (Photo: Sarah Eilers, Montana State University)

Other flowers

Additional low-growing flowers could also be great additions to bee lawns, including early spring flowering bulbs that can persist with turfgrass for multiple years, such as crocus and grape hyacinth (Muscari spp.), which have been observed to attract pollinating insects (especially honey bees).

For more information on the regional suitability of flowering plants to incorporate with turfgrass for bee lawns, contact your local extension offices for more information.

University of Minnesota’s Bee Lab has a lot of excellent information on bee lawns, their establishment, and the diversity of bees that visit them:
https://extension.umn.edu/landscape-design/planting-and-maintaining-bee-lawn#turfgrasses-for-bee-lawns-2939360

https://turf.umn.edu/news/if-you-build-it-who-will-come-evaluating-diversity-bees-flowering-lawns

Additional Resources:

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/consider-a-flowering-bee-lawn-to-help-pollinators

https://extension.psu.edu/the-buzz-about-bee-lawns

Wisdom, M. M., Richardson, M. D., Karcher, D. E., Steinkraus, D. C., & McDonald, G. V. (2019). Flowering persistence and pollinator attraction of early-spring bulbs in warm-season lawns. HortScience, 54(10), 1853-1859.
https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/54/10/article-p1853.xml

Larson, J. L., Kesheimer, A. J., & Potter, D. A. (2014). Pollinator assemblages on dandelions and white clover in urban and suburban lawns. Journal of Insect Conservation, 18(5), 863-873.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10841-014-9694-9

The ABC’s of Plants for Bees!

A yellow flower with a pollen-covered bee resting on top.

A bee collecting pollen from a Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta).

Though it might not seem like it for some of us who are still in the throes of winter and it especially feels like a distant dream as I look outside my window here in Montana, but Spring is right around the corner. Along with this magnificent season filled with new life in our gardens and landscapes our world will soon be buzzing with pollinators as well!

Most gardeners have a basic appreciation for pollinators. We know they are responsible for many things including providing important agricultural and economic services by pollinating many of the crops that we eat and by maintaining the diversity of plant communities (which help feed and house lots of other wildlife who share our space). Although lots of animals are pollinators, including birds, flies, beetles, butterflies, bats, small rodents, and more, bees are the most important of them all! This is because they have branched hairs covering their body which make them extremely efficient at carrying pollen from plant to plant.

Honey bees often get most of the publicity when you think about pollinators, or bees in general. Although they are really important to our agricultural operations they are not native but were brought to North America by colonists in the early 1600s. Some gardeners can even name a few additional types of bees but many may not realize the impressive number of bee species that are native to North America, estimated to be around 4000!

We are also becoming more aware of the fact that many wild and domesticated bees around the world have been undergoing declines over the past few decades of observation- which brings up questions about what we can do to help. The cool thing about this is that we, as gardeners, can have a positive impact on our bees, by thinking about them intentionally as we design and plant our gardens and take care of them throughout the year.

Just like us, bees need a few basic things to survive. They need food, a place to live, and protection from practices that can harm them (such as improper/unnecessary pesticide use). Each of these needs can be an entire blog post of its own, and in fact might be in the coming months, but my goal for this specific post is to introduce you to some of the resources that have regional information for selecting plants for pollinators.

Pink flowers with a large bee collecting nectar from them.

A bumble bee sipping nectar from a ‘Pink Spire’ Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia).

Pollinator Partnership, Xerces Society, National Audubon Society and lots of other educational organizations have a vast array of plant lists available for the pollinator enthusiast (see the resources linked at the end of this post to find an appropriate list of hardy plants adapted to your region). As you select your favorites from these lists there are a few things you should keep in mind to ensure you have the best impact on bees with the plants you select:

  • Add a mixture of different colors, textures, and sizes of flowering plants to attract the largest diversity of bees. Some bees (like long-horned bees, leafcutter bees, and honey bees) are generalists, which means that they will forage on a variety of different flowers. Others (like squash bees and sunflower bees) are specialists, which means that they will usually stick to plants in certain families, genera, and even species. By incorporating a diversity of plants in your pollinator garden, you can also accommodate a larger diversity of bee species!
  • We know that native plants are an awesome addition to pollinator gardens (because they are well-adapted, and evolved with the native pollinators of the region). That being said, you don’t have to avoid non-native plants altogether. Recent studies show that native and non-native plantings can have a lot of overlap in pollinators. In addition, non-native and native plants will also attract different types of pollinators so you can mix it up!
  • Make sure there are flowers throughout the growing season by planting things that will be blooming while bees are continuing to forage. Certain bees are active during certain times of the year when they are collecting pollen and nectar for their nests. Having something flowering throughout the year means that a variety of bees can take advantage of these floral resources. Some of the most critical plants that you can select are those that bloom early and those that continue to flower into the fall as the growing season ends. These early and late season flowers are very important because there are fewer resources available for pollinators during the times that bees are getting started (in the early months of spring) and when certain bee species are getting ready to overwinter in the fall. Having these early and late season flowers means that bees will have a source of food throughout the growing season, not to mention the beautiful blooms that you’ll get to enjoy throughout the year.
  • Stay away from plants that don’t have nectar/pollen sources (like some modern hybridized flowers) or those that have complicated features (such as double petals) which make it difficult for bees to actually get to the nectar source.
  • Keep these plants safe for pollinators, don’t spray pesticides on plants that are flowering. Or you can wait until the blooms have gone.

Now, you get to enjoy the fun part of choosing plants that are going to add beauty and benefit for pollinators in your yards and gardens.

Large pink flowers, with a bee resting on the side of the petals. Cactus spines in the background.

A bee resting on a Prickly Pear Cactus flower (Opuntia spp.).

Stay tuned for future posts about pollinators and other beneficial insects in the coming months. If you have questions about specific plants, their suitability or pollinators in general, visit the resources below or contact your local Extension Offices for more information.

Resources:

Pollinator Partnership Planting Guides:
https://www.pollinator.org/guides

Xerces Society Plant Lists:
https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/pollinator-friendly-plant-lists

Audubon Society Plant Database:
https://www.audubon.org/native-plants

(Some) Fact Sheets about Gardening for Native Bees:

Seitz, N., vanEngelsdorp, D., & Leonhardt, S. D. (2020). Are native and non‐native pollinator friendly plants equally valuable for native wild bee communities?. Ecology and evolution, 10(23), 12838-12850. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.6826