• To encourage plant pollinators like bees and butterflies, plant flowers that attract these insects.  The following is just a few of the many plants that can be grown here to attract pollinators: Butterfly Weed, calendula, lavender, rosemary, sage, oregano, chives, mint, thyme, coneflower, sunflowers, redbud trees, catnip, lamb’s ears, verbena, black-eyed Susan, aster, yarrow and many of our Texas native plants.

• Provide plants that bloom from early spring to late winter and even into winter in milder climates. This provides the insects with a consistent food source all season long.

• Include diverse flower colors, fragrances and shapes.  Honeybees particularly like yellow, blue and purple flowers.

• Plants planted in full sun are best.
• Provide a water source.  Bees need rocks or pebbles resting in shallow water so that they can fly off once they quench their thirst.  Butterflies like puddles or puddlers. Most butterflies feed only on nectar from flowers. However, butterflies also need water for hydration and other nutrients, like salts and minerals, which nectar can’t provide. Landing on or close to a lake or stream is pretty risky, so butterflies land on a patch of muddy or sandy ground (puddles or puddlers) and drink the water there in relative comfort and safety.