Best Pollinator
The Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) is a globally distributed social insect belonging to the Apidae family. It’s notable for its vital role as a pollinator in agriculture, contributing significantly to crop yields worldwide. These bees are particularly important for beekeepers and agricultural op...
Lavandula angustifolia, commonly called English lavender or true lavender, is an aromatic evergreen shrub native to parts of the Mediterranean region. It bears narrow gray-green leaves and spikes of purple flowers that attract bees and other pollinators, while established plants tolerate dry conditi...
Perovskia atriplicifolia, commonly called Russian sage, is a drought-tolerant deciduous shrub native to Central Asia, including Afghanistan and Pakistan. Despite its common name, it is a member of the mint family and features aromatic, silvery-gray stems and foliage. The plant produces tall spikes o...
Wild bergamot beebalm is a flowering wildflower found across prairies and meadows. It belongs to the mint family and features fragrant leaves valued for traditional medicinal purposes by Native American communities. The plant’s purple blossoms are particularly attractive to pollinators like bees, pl...
Caryopteris x clandonensis, commonly known as bluebeard or blue mist shrub, is a hybrid resulting from a cross between Caryopteris incana and Caryopteris mongholica. The original hybrid was cultivated around 1930 by Arthur Simmonds at Clandon Park in Surrey, England. This deciduous shrub is valued b...
Bombus ignitus is a species of bumblebee native to East Asia. It is extensively utilized in commercial agriculture in countries like South Korea and Japan. Farmers use this species for the efficient greenhouse pollination of tomatoes and various other crops. It belongs to the genus Bombus within the...
Abelia × grandiflora is a hybrid evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub produced by crossing Abelia chinensis and Abelia uniflora, first raised in Italy around 1886 and prized for its arching branches and persistent pinkish calyces after flowering.
Bombus hypocrita is a species of bumblebee native to Japan, where it inhabits various temperate environments. Within its ecosystem, the insect plays a significant ecological role by serving as a primary host for cuckoo bumblebees, which are social parasites that infiltrate and take over its colonies...
Bombus atratus is a species of bumblebee widely distributed across tropical and subtropical regions of South America. It is notable among bumblebees for its ability to establish continuous, multi-year colonies in suitable tropical climates, contrasting with the annual life cycles of temperate bumble...
Caryopteris incana, commonly known as bluebeard, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. Native to East Asia, it is a deciduous subshrub that naturally grows in dry, rocky environments. In landscaping, it is planted for its late-season blooming cycle, producing dense clusters...
Vitex agnus-castus, also called the chaste tree, is a deciduous shrub native to the Mediterranean region and parts of central Asia. It features aromatic, palm-shaped leaves and produces spikes of violet-blue flowers during the summer months. Historically, the plant was associated with legends of sup...
Bombus pauloensis is a species of bumblebee native to South America, with a range extending from Colombia and Venezuela through Brazil to Argentina and Chile. It is one of the few bumblebee species documented to exhibit facultative polygyny, whereby colonies may have more than one queen, and populat...
The New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) is a robust herbaceous perennial native to moist meadows, prairies, and stream banks across eastern and central North America. Reaching heights of up to six feet, it is distinguished by its stout, hairy stems and dense clusters of vibrant purple r...
Megachile ligniseca is a solitary leafcutter bee species found across Europe and parts of Asia. As suggested by its Latin name meaning 'wood-digger,' this species is notable for the females' behavior of excavating nesting tunnels in dead or decaying wood, unlike many other Megachile species that use...
Megachile versicolor is a solitary leafcutter bee in the family Megachilidae, recorded across much of Europe. Females construct nests in existing cavities and line individual brood cells with pieces cut from leaves, rather than using the leaves as food. Like other leafcutter bees, it carries pollen...
Anthidium septemspinosum is a Palearctic wool carder bee known for collecting plant fibers to line its nests, with males exhibiting strong territorial behavior.
Hyssopus officinalis, hyssop, is a semi-evergreen aromatic subshrub native to southern Europe and western Asia, cultivated since antiquity as a culinary and medicinal herb and referenced in ancient Greek and Hebrew texts.
Megachile circumcincta is a solitary leafcutter bee in the family Megachilidae, distributed across parts of the Palearctic region. William Kirby formally described the species in 1802. Like other members of Megachile, females carry pollen on specialized hairs beneath the abdomen rather than on the h...
Andrena vicina is a solitary mining bee prevalent in North America, known for its early spring emergence and described by Smith in 1853.
Hibiscus syriacus, commonly called rose of Sharon, is a deciduous flowering shrub native to eastern Asia. It produces showy, five-petaled flowers from summer into early autumn in colors including white, pink, purple, and blue, often with a contrasting central eye. The species is the national flower...
Caryopteris x clandonensis, commonly called blue mist shrub or bluebeard, is a deciduous hybrid shrub grown for clusters of blue flowers that appear in late summer and early autumn. It originated in England in the 1930s from a cross involving Asian Caryopteris species. Its flowers attract bees, butt...
Anthophora terminalis is a North American digger bee recognized by the distinctive white bands on its abdomen, described by Cresson in 1869.
Melissodes communis is a North American long-horned bee in the genus Melissodes. It is recognized for foraging primarily on sunflowers and other asters during late summer. The species is solitary, so it represents an individual bee species rather than a social hive insect such as the honey bee. Its...
Megachile xylocopoides is a species of leafcutter bee in the family Megachilidae, commonly called the carpenter-mimic leafcutter bee. Its dark, robust appearance can resemble a carpenter bee, which explains the common name, but it belongs to Megachile rather than Xylocopa. The species was described...
Osmia niveata is a European species of solitary mason bee in the family Megachilidae, described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1804. It is included in modern European wild-bee checklists and is recorded by bee-survey organizations as a member of the Osmia genus. Like other mason bees, it nests with...
Megachile analis is a Palearctic leafcutter bee distinguished by its use of resin and mud for nest building, first described by Nylander in 1848.
Osmia bucephala, the large-headed mason bee, is a European species recognized for its distinctive broad head and its preference for nesting in aerial cavities and dead wood.
Megachile montivaga is a North American leafcutter bee that builds nests in pre-existing cavities using leaf fragments, described by Cresson in 1878.
Megachile latimanus is a solitary leafcutter bee native to North America, noted for its broad mandibles and first described by Say in 1823.
Megachile parallela is a North American leafcutter bee noted for its parallel-sided body structure, originally described by Smith in 1853.
