Day 201: The planting hummingbird and pollinator gardens has achieved great popularity in recent years. Who wouldn't want to help the birds and bees? However, there is a factor which receives very little discussion proportionately, and that is that by selecting non-native plants, we actually may be doing more harm than good. Y'see, native species of things kinda go hand-in-hand. A certain type of bee is drawn to a certain type of plant for a reason. Perhaps the plant has developed a unique structure which only that bee can reach. The plant benefits because the bee pollinates it. The bee benefits because the plant provides a nutritional source. The plant is dependent upon the specific bee, although the bee is not so restricted. Given another more easily accessible means of obtaining nectar, the bee may forgo visiting the plant which is dependent on it. Non-native species can be (and often are) stronger attractors of insects. By drawing the pollinators to them, the native species go neglected, and therefore cannot reproduce. A notorious example of a strong attractor would be Buddleia, commonly called Butterfly Bush. The name says it all. Its scent draws butterflies from far and wide, pulling them away from the native plants they should be visiting. Likewise, Elephant-head Pedicularis is buzz-pollinated by specific bee species whose wings vibrate at exactly the right frequency to initiate pollen release. If non-native plants make up the bulk of your landscaping, you're creating the equivalent of wall-to-wall fast-food joints for pollinators. Give them some healthier options with natives. Rufous Hummingbirds love our Red-flowering Currants here in the Pacific Northwest.
