little bluets native plants
Supporting Pollinators and Garden Wildlife
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Provide Food
Attracting pollinators and other wildlife begins with planting native plants!
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Native Perennials and Grasses
American Snowbell flowers
Flowering Dogwood berries
Native perennials, grasses, shrubs and trees provide nectar and pollen, leaves, fruits and seeds, essential food sources for many of our insects, birds and other wildlife.
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Nectar and Pollen for Bees
the Super Pollinators!
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Bees are the most important of the pollinators. Why is that?
Bees are the only animal to eat pollen and nectar as both adults and larvae (young), and the female bees collect and carry nectar and pollen to their nest sites to feed the young. All that eating and transporting of pollen results in a lot of pollination!
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Bumble bees and honeybees collect pollen and nectar in a "pollen pocket" on their back legs called a corbicula.
When full of pollen it looks like a big ball.
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Many solitary bees, like this mining bee, collect pollen all over their back legs.
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Mason and leafcutter bees collect pollen on their bellies!
Nectar for Butterflies, Hummingbirds and other Pollinators.​
Nectar from native flowers is an important food source for many pollinators such as butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, wasps and hummingbirds.
As they visit flowers for nectar, these little critters will inadvertently pick up bits of pollen and then move it from flower to flower, aiding in pollination.​
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Like all butterflies and moths, this skipper uses its long, straw-like tongue called a proboscis to drink nectar
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Many flies like this Syrphid Fly or "flower fly", eat nectar as adults
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Over 98% of North American wasp species are solitary, completely harmless & very important in our gardens. Most are both pollinators and predators, like this thread-waisted wasp.
Leaves of host plants for caterpillars
Caterpillars (the larval stage of butterflies and moths) feed exclusively on the leaves of plants. Each species of caterpillar specializes on specific types of plants called host plants.
Choosing native plants is essential to provide food for caterpillars.
Tussock Moth Caterpillars feed on a variety of tree and shrubs such as oak, hickory, cherry, birch, maple, blueberry, etc
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Monarch Caterpillars eat only leaves of milkweeds like this Swamp Milkweed
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Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillars eat the leaves of plants in the Laurel Family, like Sassafras and Spicebush
Some plants are host plants for many species of caterpillars.
Incorporating a few of these species can support a large number of butterflies and moths.
Here are a few examples, according to Entomologist Doug Tallamy:
- White Oak is a host plant for more than 450 caterpillar species
- River Birch, Maple, and Hickories ... between 200 & 290
- Blueberries and other shrubs in the genus Vaccinium ... 215
- Goldenrods and Asters ... around 100 different caterpillar species
White Oak (Quercus alba)
Want to attract a specific butterfly or moth to your garden?
Plant the host plant of the butterfly or moth you would like to see in your garden!
Keep in mind that some butterflies are more active at certain times. In North Carolina monarchs are migrating through in spring and fall, so you are not likely to see them in the summer. ​
Black Swallowtail Butterfly
Host Plants:
Golden Alexanders
Ziza aurea
Herbs in the carrot family like parsley, dill & fennel
Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly
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Host Plants:
Sassafras
Sassafra albidum
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Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
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​​Plants in the Laurel Family
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
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Host Plants:
Tulip Tree
Liriodendron tulipifera
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Black Cherry
Prunus serotina
Pearl Crescent Butterfly
Host Plants:
Asters
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Flowers in the Genus Symphyotrichum
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Monarch Butterfly
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Host Plants:
Native Milkweeds
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*Avoid planting the non-native Tropical Milkweed
Sleepy Orange Butterfly
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Host Plants:
Partridge Pea
Chamaecrista fasciculata
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Fritillary Butterflies
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Host Plants:
Passionflower​
Violets
Luna Moth
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Host Plants:
Sweet Gum, Birches,
Hickories, Persimmon, Black Gum, Walnut
Clearwing Hummingbird Moth
Host Plants:
Viburnums
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Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
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Limit Non-Natives and Remove/Avoid Invasives
​In general, the foliage of non-native plants (plants from other areas of the world) cannot be eaten by our native caterpillars or other leaf-eating native wildlife. This is one reason why non-native plants have been very popular in landscaping; because the leaves will not get chewed on.
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Some non-native plants become invasive, when they aggressively and take over natural spaces. Invasive plants are a serious threat to our environment and should avoid being planted at all costs.
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For more information on invasive plants
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Nandina is a commonly planted non-native, that has become invasive and has berries that are poisonous to birds.
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Seeds and Fruit for Birds
The seeds, nuts, fruits and berries of of native plants are food for many birds and small mammals.
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America Goldfinches are one of the few birds that only eat seeds, even as young.
The berries of native shrubs, like this Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), are important sources of food in the fall and winter
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Eastern Towhees eat seeds and bugs they find among the leaves on the ground.
Provide Shelter and Nest Sites
From finding a nest site for young to having a place to over winter,
pollinators & birds need shelter through all seasons of the year.
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Ways to Provide Shelter
- Leave the Leaves - - Save the Plant Stems -
- Plant in Layers - - Leave Bare Earth -
Most of the insects and other small critters we want in our summer gardens,
like bumble bees and fireflies, overwinter in fallen leaves.
Birds will forage for insects and seed in the leaves through fall and winter.
If you blow all your leaves to the curb, you are blowing away all the critters too
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So when leaves fall in autumn ... rake them into your garden, under your trees or just leave them!
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Fireflies live their entire lives in fallen leaves
Queen bumble bees over winter in leaves and other natural vegetation on the ground
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Luna moths spend the winter in the fallen leaves, in their cocoon stage
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Save
the
Plant Stems
About 30% of North American bees, as well as some wasps, use tubes like plant stems as nest sites for their young. All of these bees and wasps are solitary, which means they build their nests and feed their young all by themselves. Other insects like praying mantises and butterflies overwinter on plant stems in their egg or pupal stage.
Providing these nests sites is simple ...
In the Fall:
Leave your plant stems, even though the flowers are gone.
The seed heads will provide seeds for birds in fall and winter and the plant stems will create winter interest in your garden
In Late Winter:
Cut the stems back to 10 - 24 inches
Bees use the stems from late winter through the next fall.
The stems will eventually break down and become incorporated back into the soil of the garden.
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The inside of a mason bee nest.
The mama bee lined the walls with mud.
The yellow is a ball of pollen and nectar. The shape that looks like a white grain of rice is the egg.
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Mama mason bee peaking out of her nest
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Black Swallowtail Butterflies overwinter as a chrysalis (pupal stage) on twigs and plant stems.
Stem Nesting Wasps
Although wasps are often feared, over 98% of North American wasp species are solitary and harmless Many are both pollinators and predators of garden pests, making them very beneficial for our gardens.
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Wasp Nest
The mama mason wasp (on the left), feeds her young caterpillars. She collects caterpillars and places them in the nest with each egg she lays.
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Wasp Pupa
Like butterflies, wasps and bees have 4 life stages. This is the pupal stage, the "magical stage" when the wasp will transform from the larva to adult.
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This mining bee is active as an adult in March in piedmont North Carolina
Some solitary bees will aggregate and build their nests near each other, especially in ideal conditions.
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Mining Bee (Family Andrena) peaking out of her ground nest hole
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70% of the over 3,600 species of North American native bees nest in the ground.
Ground nesting bees are solitary, meaning the mother bee creates & provisions her nest all by herself. Because solitary bees have no colony to defend, they will not bother you, even if you get near their nest.
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The entrance to these nests often look like a hole the size of a pencil eraser. Many of these bee species are only active as adults above ground for a few weeks and live the rest of the year as young in their underground tunnel nests. Allowing a few areas of your property to be bare earth, or to have very sparse vegetation and no mulch, will provide nest sites for these amazing bees
Ground Nesting Wasps
The vast majority of ground nesting wasp species are solitary and will not bother you, even if you get near their nest site. Many of these wasps are important as both pollinators and predators and are very beneficial for our gardens. We definitely want to attract and support these important wasps.​
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This solitary, ground-nesting wasp builds and provisions a nest for her young, all by herself.
This individual was very shy. I had to sit completely still in order to observe her emerge from her nest.
Everytime she saw me move she would quickly retreat back into her nest hole
Yellow jackets are black and yellow with no visible hairs
-Inside of a yellow jacket nest-
Although rarely seen unless the nest has been dug out, the inside of a yellow jacket nest is beautiful!
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Yellow jacket nest entrances can be a small hole similar to a solitary bee or wasp, but are often larger and a less defined circle.
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A yellow jacket nest will have a lot of activity with wasps continually going and coming from the nest hole and because the colony grows from spring through fall, activity levels will increase as the season progresses.
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**Wasps and When to Use Caution**
Yellow jackets are one of only a few wasp species that we need to take extreme caution around.
Learning to ID yellow jackets and their nest sites, as well as how to behave around them, can help ease fears and prevent unwanted encounters with these nests.
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Yellow jackets are a social, ground-nesting wasp. They live in colonies and work together to feed and care for each other. Given their social behavior, these girls instinctively want to protect their colony, and will aggressively sting humans and other animals that get too near their nest.
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If you encounter a yellow jacket nest, do not approach it. Nests can be identified by seeing yellow jackets coming and going from a hole in the ground. They will nest in the ground in a variety of places including the forest floor, fields and around rock or log piles. Take extreme caution when walking in these places in the summer and fall, especially in areas that are not frequented by people.
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However, if you see a yellow jacket when it is away from its nest, it is very unlikely to sting. ​
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Because different birds and insects utilize different areas of vegetation, growing plants of varying heights will attract a wider variety of wildlife. From groundcovers and flowering perennials to shrubs and trees, planting layers provides shelter from weather and predators, as well as nesting sites.
Incorporate as many layers as your space allows!
Groundcovers and ferns provide shelter from smaller animals
Shrubs and the lower branches of trees are the preferred nest sites for birds like this Northern Cardinal
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Some birds tend to hang out higher in the canopy of taller trees
Snags/Tree Cavities
Snags (dead standing trees) provide an extensive amount of habitat for a large variety of wildlife from insects to birds to mammals. If a tree on your property dies, consider having it cut to a safe height instead of having it taken down. Then enjoy watching the snag change as all sorts of life move in!
Insects can tunnel into the wood of snags. Then woodpeckers and other birds show up to eat the bugs.
Brown-headed Nuthatch checking out a potential nest site in a snag
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Bird boxes can provide nesting sites for cavity nesting birds like this Carolina Chickadee
Protection from Pesticides
Pesticides (both insecticides and herbicides) are a huge threat to pollinators and other insects and are one of the factors leading to decreased populations of these extremely important animals.
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Reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides, particularly ones that are broadspread over lawn or other areas of vegetation, to create a haven that is safe for these amazing little critters.
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For more information on pesticides visit https://xerces.org/pesticides​​
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Avoid Mosquito Sprays
Mosquito sprays are a non-selective insecticide, which means they kill all insects, including butterflies, bees, ladybugs, fireflies, etc. and because adult mosquitoes repopulate in around one week, these sprays are not all that effective. Instead, focus on eliminating standing water, where the larval stage of mosquitoes live and grow.
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Visit this Xerces Society website for more information on mosquito control.
Provide Water
Water in the form of a bird bath or small pond can provide water source for birds, lizards, mammals and even insects. A small pond may create habitat for frogs and toads.
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* Be sure to clean bird baths every few days for the health of the birds.*
Also, they are much more likely to use a bird bath with clean water!
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Female Northern Cardinal taking a bath
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Pickerel Frog in a small backyard pond
Carolina Anole getting a drink