Almost all living things need plants to survive, and most plants rely on pollination–the transfer of pollen to the reproductive parts of the plant–to reproduce. This pollination work is done by bees, birds, beetles, butterflies, and even ants, bats, and small mammals. The health of both plant and pollinator is highly interdependent, and affects many other species; almost all birds, for instance, rely on insects, and at least 1/3 of the food we eat is made possible by pollinators.
There are approximately 40,000 bees in the world- and 800-1000 of them in the NW alone. Most native bees are solitary, and don’t live in social colonies like the honeybee- in fact, only the bumblebee comes close, with colonies of up to a couple hundred.
The Western Bumblebee has been used commercially to pollinate tomato, cranberry, alfalfa, avocado, apples, cherries, blackberries, and blueberry crops. Once widespread in the Western US and Canada, they have nearly disappeared between California and British Columbia.
What to plant: Camas
Orchard Mason bees are small, gentle bees frequently used in home and commercial orchards, as they are easy to keep and highly efficient pollinators. They emerge in spring and nest for the winter in autumn.
What to plant: Oregon Grape
Butterflies also pollinate flowers, although they are not as prolific as bees.
Adult butterflies fly from April-October and are most commonly seen in May and July. Male adults participate in puddling parties– gathering together in groups to sip water from mud.
What to plant: Tiger Lily
These butterflies lay eggs singly on the underside of leaves of their host plants, prefering Lupine and plants in the pea family.
What to plant: Lupine
Birds eat seeds, berries, and insects, and some, such as hummingbirds, pollinate plants.
The Rufous migrates into Seattle around March and stays up until fall. Hummingbrirds have a preference for tubular flowers, and seem to prefer red flowers.
What to plant: Penstemon, Red Columbine
Bats pollinate plants, too– in Arizona, bats pollinate Agave, the cactus used in making tequila. Bats in the Northwest aren’t active pollinators, but they thrive on pollinators.
What to plant: Any pollinator-friendly native plant