This month, I’m diving into the world of pollinator-friendly plants and the ever-growing popularity of seed mixes. Justin Runyon, a research entomologist at the Rocky Mountain Research Station in Bozeman, MT and others led a study assessing the compatibility of different native shrubs and forbs with bee species in the Helena National Forest. From their findings, the research team came up with a “pollinator friendliness score card” and what they found to be the optimal native species to include in seed mixes across a variety of habitat types.
The study was pursued as a result of a 2014 presidential memorandum that established a pollinator health task force with the goal of establishing a well-researched strategy to promote bee population health on Federal Lands.
Within the study site of the Helena National Forest, the team used 63 sampling sites with established populations of the 24 plant species being assessed. The study variables relating to pollinators were: number of bee species observed on each plant species, number of individuals per flower per minute, and the number of specialty bees.
Based on their data, the team created the chart below which illustrates the nine optimal species to include in seed mixes highlighting bloom time, color, and duration.
You can read morehere, about the study and see the scorecard that they created.
While Runyon advises not to limit mixes to the nine species, he says “choosing to use any of the pollinator friendly plants, even just one or two of the species, will provide benefits for bees.”
To apply the scorecard to your garden planning, first assess the area you're looking to fill and consider what plant growth form you're looking for (wildflower, grass, shrub, tree) and what resources you can provide (water amount, sun exposure). While snowberries are a great understory and shade tolerant-plant, they are a little "wilder" than showy fleabane which is a great garden plant that can strive in smaller spaces and tolerate full sun. We have many of these pollinator-friendly species available, so please reach out if you'd like to get started with a pollinator garden - big or small!
The study does highlight seed mixes so if you're not in the market for plugs, and you haven’t already visited our online Seed Mix store, we offer three different seed mixes - Western Montana Native Grass Mix, Western Montana Meadow Mix, and Flora's Native Lawn Mix. For custom seed mixes, you can email myself or Aimee to get started.
Buzz buzz!
Glenny, Will, Justin Runyon, and Laura Burkle. Assessing pollinator friendliness of plants and designing mixes to restore habitat for bees. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 2022.
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