Pollinators: Introduction

Biology

Many of the predators and parasitoids described in the other factsheets also play a secondary beneficial role in the garden—they help in flower pollination. As adults, hover flies, predatory bugs, lady beetles, lacewings, predatory wasps, predatory flies and many others all feed on nectar or pollen to a greater or lesser extent. Similarly, adult parasitoids like tachinid flies and parasitic wasps fuel themselves by feeding on sugary nectar. In the process of nectar and pollen feeding, all of these pest-regulating insects also provide pollination services. Non-carnivorous insects also play a role in flower pollination.

The most important group of pollinators is of course the bees, both the introduced honey bee and the hundreds of species of native bees that occur in the Pacific Northwest. Native bees are receiving renewed interest as introduced honey bee populations battle adversity. Gardens stocked with bee-attractive flowering plants can play an important role in encouraging and conserving native bee species.

Butterflies are a group of pollinators with immense appeal, so much so that some gardeners design their gardens as ‘butterfly gardens’, planting flowers and caterpillar host plants aimed at attracting and retaining some of the Pacific Northwest’s 160 or so butterfly species. The only butterfly caterpillar that can cause plant damage is that of the cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae), which—as its name suggests—feeds on cabbages and related crucifers. The species’ of butterfly that can be attracted to a garden or landscape depends on geographic location with inland gardens east of the Cascades generally having a wider variety to choose from. In many eastern Washington towns growing the native chokecherry or ornamental green ash along with butterfly-attractive flowering plants like coneflower, columbine, asters and blazing star, virtually assures garden residence of the largest butterfly in western North America, the two-tailed tiger swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata). Coastal gardeners have a good chance of seeing the closely related western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) if they provide maples, willows or cottonwoods for the caterpillars and lilac, columbine, phlox etc for the adults to feed on.