Beyond Your Backyard - Feeders For Pollinators

By Kimberly J. Epp

The Prairie Crocuses are our first Spring flowers, providing the first food for bees, but they only bloom for ten days to two weeks, and cannot be found everywhere. Soon dandelions will be popping up virtually everywhere, and will provide some of the first food for pollinators.

Ripened watermelon does not need to be thrown out. Hang it in your garden area for the butterflies and bees. Monarch Butterflies love it.

It is too early yet for flower garden season, and until your flower garden grows you can attract pollinators by providing water baths and fruit feeders. In fact, that may be a way to keep them in your garden then as well. Feeders can provide the daily nectar requirements for pollinators equivalent to hundreds of flowers.

Sugar water on sponges is an easy way to feed insects when fruit is not on hand.

We think about feeders for the hummingbirds (which are also pollinators), but why not for the butterflies and bees as well? You can easily come up with your own creative ideas, and great activities to do with the kids! Get the children interested in learning about these species.

Watermelon and orange slices will attract both bees and butterflies.

Rotting fruit feeders may not be our idea of tempting, but in nature nothing is wasted. By extracting the sweet liquid from the fruits, the insects actually aid in the decomposition process - which is a form of recycling. The appeal of the fruit to butterflies may surprise you.

A ripened banana attracts butterflies. So instead of throwing the fruit out, put it into a feeder for the butterflies.

Your hearts will be all 'a-flutter' with the results, especially once you attract some butterflies of your own. You may attract some bees, but that would bee okay, too! Your yard will bee buzzing with the results. Share your ideas with fellow gardeners, and your gardeners in training!

Cut up banana slices in a bird bath may attract several butterflies at once.

Our pollinators (such as bees and butterflies) are at risk, and you can help them out by planting native wildflowers in your garden. Remember, we would not bee here on earth for more than four years if we lost our pollinating species. 🐝
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Old fruit, cut up in an orange bag also makes for easy clean up.

Epp is an Environmental Educator and writer and is also the President and Field Trip Coordinator for the Moose Jaw Nature Society. Stay tuned for the next article on Earth Day, of the diversity of species in our area and info on our next program (April 26th) on the cultural and natural history of Tatawaw, formerly the Wild Animal Park.

A bee bath requires plenty of stones so that the bees do not drown while attempting to get a drink of water. Have a bath for the birds and another for the bees. Now you can say you've learned about the birds and the bees! 🐝