According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, there are approximately 400 native bee species in Minnesota. Because of the diversity of bees, it is important to provide a variety of plants that support their pollination efforts in our environment.
What is Pollination?
Pollination occurs when pollen is moved within flowers or carried from flower to flower by pollinating animals such as birds, bees, bats, butterflies or by the wind.
What does Pollination do?
The transfer of pollen in and between flowers of the same species leads to fertilization, and successful seed and fruit production for plants. Pollination ensures that a plant will produce full-bodied fruit and a full set of viable seeds.
Why should Pollination matter to us?
Worldwide, roughly 1,000 plants grown for food, beverages, fibers, spices, and medicines need to be pollinated by bees in order to produce the goods on which we depend.
Foods and beverages produced with the help of pollinators include apples, blueberries, chocolate, coffee, melons, peaches, potatoes, pumpkins, vanilla, and almonds.
In the United States, pollination by honey bees, native bees, and other insects produces $40 billion worth of products annually!
Plan your garden so that there is a plant blooming (different color, fragrance, and season of bloom) from April-September. Many pollinators, especially bees, forage during the entire growing season!
Check out https://www.beelab.umn.edu/bees/flowers/plants-mn-bees to guide you through the selection of plants for the entire season.