Pollinators in the Garden

Coral Hairstreak (Satyrium titus) Photo: Benny Mazur, Wikimedia Commons

Pollinators play an important role in the life cycle of plants. Moving pollen from plant to plant, which in turn produces fruit that bears seed, a pollinator facilitates the plant reproduction process.

There are plenty of ways we can assure that this process continues. This page contains resources that you can access to find out more about pollinators and what you can do to make sure these valuable resources continue to thrive.

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Wasp (Vespidae sp.) Photo: Jon Sullivan, Wikimedia Commons

Websites

• Pollinator Partnership; www.pollinator.org
• The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation; www.xerces.org 
• Butterflies and Moths of North America; www.butterfliesandmoths.org
• Southern Wisconsin Butterfly Association (NABA); www.naba.org/chapters/nabawba/
• Monarch Watch; www.monarchwatch.org/
• Wisconsin Monarch Collaborative;  wiatri.net/Projects/Monarchs/

Books

• Pollinators of Native Plants by Heather Holm; Pollination Press LLC, Minnesota 2014
• Guide to Bumble Bees of the Eastern United States by Sheila Colla, Leif Richardson & Paul Williams; A product of the USDA Forest Service and the Pollinator Partnership with funding from the National Rish and Wildlife Foundation
• Bee Basics An Introduction to Our Native Bees by Beatriz Moissett, Ph.D. & Stephen Buchmann, Ph.D.; A USDA Forest Service and Pollinator Partnership Publication
• Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects by The Xerces Society; Timber Press, 2016
  

Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) Photo: Dennis Krusac, U.S. Dept of Agriculture

Articles/Factsheets/Bulletins

• Nests for Native Bees by Matthew Shepherd; The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation; http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/nests_for_native_bees_fact_sheet_xerces_society.pdf
• What’s the Buzz on….Planting a Bee Garden By Stephen Buchmann; https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/USDA_ForestService_WhatIsTheBuzzOnPlantingABeeGarden_March2010.pdf
• Pollinators by Christy Stewart, UW Horticulture and USDA-ARS; UW Extension Fact Sheet http://hort.uwex.edu/articles/pollinators
• Wisconsin Spring Bee Guide https://energy.wisc.edu/bee-guide/
• Wisconsin Pollinator Protection Plan; Dept. of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection, April 2016; https://datcp.wi.gov/Documents/PPPComplete.pdf
• Conserving Bumble Bees by Rich Hatfield, Sarina Jepson, Eric Mader, Scott Hoffman Black & Mathew Shephard; The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation; http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/bumble-bee-conservation-factsheet.pdf