Plants to Support California Native Bees
I’ve written previously about native bees and their invaluable role as pollinators. See these posts as background. Native Bees Part 1 Native Bees Part 2. Or check out this article from the UC David Arboretum about ten California native bees.
Beyond the honey bee: Learn more about California native bees
Green sweat bee. Thumbnail is a digger bee.
This post is a brief follow-up to provide lists of plants that support native bee populations in California. The simplest list is from UC Davis.
The article is a 5 minute read. It describes 10 plants chosen for spring, summer and fall bloom, low to medium-low watering need, low maintenance requirements and the variety of bee species they attract. With the right bee plants a small urban garden can attract forty to fifty species of native bees.
A very extensive list of plants is available from the UC Urban Bee Lab at UC Berkeley. It is based on several years of evaluation and survey work done in Northern and Southern California by their research group.
Gardening for Bees—Seasonal Recommended Plant Lists
Also check out the UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab website. It’s a treasure trove of information on urban bees in California.
