8 Tips for Attracting Pollinators

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1. Single flowers — those with one ring of petals around a central disc — provide more nectar and pollen than pompom-shaped double flowers.

2. Bees tend to be most attracted to blue, purple, and yellow flowers, though you'll find them on flowers of other colors, too.

3. Include plants that are native to your region. They'll be adapted to your soil and climate conditions and will be magnets for wild bees and other native pollinators.

4. Many pesticides, even organic ones, will harm pollinators. For example, if you use a pesticide to control caterpillars, you risk harming butterfly larvae.

5. Include plants of various heights in your landscape, including flowering trees and shrubs.

6. Butterflies, bees, and other pollinators need shelter to hide from predators, get out of the elements, and rear their young. If possible allow a section of your landscape "go wild" with unmown lawn, fallen leaves, and small piles of twigs.

7. Pollinators vary in their preference for flower shape (bowl-shaped, flat-topped, tubular, etc.) and color, so include a variety of both in your landscape.

8. Butterflies gather around mud puddles to get the minerals they need. Create a shallow basin in bare soil to catch rainfall; apply water during dry spells to keep the spot moist.