Attracts Pollinators

Native plants attract pollinators. Many people are not aware that most native bees are not the familiar fuzzy yellow and black bumblebees or the yellow-banded honeybees we typically think of. In fact, most native bees do not live in colonies but rather live out solitary lives burrowing in the soil, or in hollow plant stems or tree holes. In Illinois there are more than 225 native bee species that range in size from just a few millimeters to 1.5 inches. Our native bees, which don’t sting unless stepped on by accident, have developed specific life-cycle relationships with native plants. Because of these associations and their efficiency as pollinators, native bees are extremely important to native wildflowers. Below are plants that attract pollinators.

22473A Agastache scrophulariiefolia ngn A NP
Agastache scrophulariifolia
Purple Giant Hyssop
22582A Ageratina altissima
Ageratina altissima
White Snakeroot
22475A Allium canadense NGN A NP
Allium canadense
Wild Garlic, Wild Onion
22477A Amorpha canescens ngn A NP
Amorpha canescens
Lead Plant
22799A Anemone canadensis NGN A NP
Anemone canadensis
Meadow Anemone
22481A Anemone cylindrica ngn A NP
Anemone cylindrica
Thimbleweed
22488A Asclepias tuberosa NGN A NP
Asclepias tuberosa
Butterfly Weed
22489A Asclepias verticillata NGN A NP
Asclepias verticillata
Whorled Milkweed
22504A Baptisia leucophaea NGN A NP
Baptisia leucophaea (bracteata var. leucophaea)
Cream Wild Indigo
22842A Camassia scilloides
Camassia scilloides
Wild Hyacinth
22515A Campanula americana NGN A NP
Campanulastrum americanum
Tall Bellflower
22788A Carex emoryi A
Carex emoryi
Riverbank Sedge
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Carex trichocarpa
Hairy-fruited Lake Sedge
22556A Ceanothus americanus
Ceanothus americanus
New Jersey Tea
22557A Cephalanthus occidentalis A NP
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Buttonbush
22559A Chelone glabra NGN A NP
Chelone glabra
Turtlehead
22563A Coreopsis lanceolata NGN A NP
Coreopsis lanceolata
Sand Coreopsis
22564A Coreopsis palmata A NGN
Coreopsis palmata
Prairie Coreopsis
22565A Coreopsis tripteris NGN A NP
Coreopsis tripteris
Tall Coreopsis
22641A Dalea candida NGN A NP
Dalea candida
White Prairie Clover
22643A Dalea purpurea NGN A NP
Dalea purpurea
Purple Prairie Clover
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Decodon verticillatus
Swamp Loosestrife
22568A Desmodium canadense NGN A NP
Desmodium canadense
Showy Tick Trefoil
22571A Dodecatheon meadia NGN A NP
Dodecatheon meadia
Shooting Star
22501A Aster umbellatus NGN A NP
Doellingeria umbellata
Flat-top Aster
22572A Echinacea pallida NGN A NP
Echinacea pallida
Pale Purple Coneflower
22573A Echinacea purpurea NGN A NP
Echinacea purpurea
Purple Coneflower
22578A Eryngium yuccifolium NGN A NP
Eryngium yuccifolium
Rattlesnake Master
22580A Eupatorium perfoliatum NGN A NP
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Common Boneset
22583A Euphorbia corollata NGN A 1 np
Euphorbia corollata
Flowering Spurge
22495A Aster macrophyllus NGN A NP
Eurybia macrophylla
Big-leaved Aster
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Euthamia graminifolia
Grass-leaved Goldenrod
22579A Eupatorium maculatum NGN A NP
Eutrochium maculatum
Spotted Joe Pye Weed
22581A Eupatorium purpureum
Eutrochium purpureum
Purple Joe Pye Weed
22585A Filipendula rubra A PO
Filipendula rubra
Queen of the Prairie
23636A Fragaria virginiana
Fragaria virginiana
Wild Strawberry

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