Hylaeus modestus bee (IMAGE)
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While wildflowers and perennials are a must for supporting pollinators, there's no denying the popularity of many annual flowers for their colorful, visual appeal. A new study suggests choosing the right varieties can give annual flowers a role in nourishing bees and other pollinating insects in home gardens. Researchers observed pollinators visiting the six most popular annual flower species in the U.S., finding significant variation in pollinator attractiveness between cultivars, even within the same flower species. In the course of the study, pollinating insects that visited flowers included honey bees, bumble bees, wasps, hover flies, solitary bees, such as Hylaeus modestus, sometimes known as the modest masked bee. Here, a Hylaeus modestus bee is shown on the petal of a hydrangea (not included part of the study).
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F.W. Ravlin, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Michigan State University and Ohio State University
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