Planting for Pollinators

Using Native Plants instead of Introduced Plants

Native Plants @ Collinsville Pollen Trail

(updated 11/29/20)

TREES / SHRUBS

  • Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)

  • Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)

  • Pagoda Dogwood (Swida alternifolia)

  • Serviceberry (Amelanchier grandiflora)

  • Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

  • Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)

  • Smooth Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum)

  • Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)

  • Smooth Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium L.)

  • Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus)

  • 'Mount Airy' Fothergilla

  • Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

  • Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum)

  • Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia)

  • Red-osier Dogwood (Swida sericea)

PERENNIAL PLANTS / GRASSES

  • Bluestar (Amsonia)

  • Larkspur (Delphinium exaltatum)

  • Little bluestem (Schizachyrium sciparium)

  • Violet (Viola)

  • Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris / canadensis)

  • Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia)

  • Bearberry (Arcostaphylos uva-ursi)

  • Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)

  • Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

  • Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

  • Whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

  • Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pennsylvanica)

  • Coneflower (Echinacea purpura)

  • Beard tongue (Penstemon "Husker Red" / Cobea)

  • Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)

  • Bee balm (Monarda)

  • Phlox (Phlox paniculata)

  • Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

  • False indigo (Baptisia australis)

  • Yellow coneflower (Echinacea paradoxa)

  • Purple Love Grass (Eragrostis spectabilis)

  • Cranesbill (Geranium)

  • Tall Larkspur (Lupinus perennis)

  • Bug Bane (Actaea racemosa)

  • Sweet Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum)

  • Sunflower (Helianthus)

  • Ostrich Fern (Metteuccia struthiopteris)

Collinsville Pollen Trail is dedicated to planting (regionally) native trees, shrubs, grasses and flowering perennials to sustain pollinators, birds and other wildlife. New plants are added every planting season. We were fortunate to have received a large donation of native shrubs for Fall 2020 Planting. [ Please see the collapsible Plant Species list on the left ]

[Special Thanks to Kate Brandes]

native_garden.pdf

Why should we plant native plants?

  • "Our destruction of continuous forest habitats has thrown the ecosystem out of balance. As gardeners and stewards of our land, we have never been so empowered and the ecological stakes have never been so high. Increasing the percentage of natives in suburbia is a grassroots solution to the extinction crisis. Native plants support pollinators and food webs far better than introduced (non-native or exotic ornamental) species, and some native plants support much more life than others. Choosing the best plants for your area is the key to success."

- Doug Tallamy's Bringing Nature Home

  • "Native plants evolved in particular locations, where they provide the habitats, food and shelter that specific insects, birds, mammals, and other wildlife needs. Together, native plants and animals form a web of mutually beneficial interactions that is greater than the sum of its parts: an ecosystem. "

- New England Native Plant Trust

  • Native plants require minimal care once established. Less watering, less fuss, hardier and more adaptable to the elements.

  • "Pollinators need a diversity of plants blooming throughout the growing season. Bees need flowers with pollen and nectar, and, in some cases, structures for nesting habitat. Other pollinators will have other needs – moths and butterflies, for example, will need plants that provide food for their caterpillar larvae. Over the long term, the best pollinator habitat will have a diversity of trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial plants. Summer annuals, winter annuals, biennials and short-lived perennials can play an important role in the short-term, particularly in agriculture, where they can be grown as cover crops on a field scale."

- Dr. Kimberly Stoner, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Native Trees and Shrubs for Bees Through the Season

Sample List by Dr. Kimberly Stoner, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Native Wildflowers for Bees Through the Season

Sample List by Dr. Kimberly Stoner, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Alternatives for Invasive Ornamental Plant Species



A helpful guide with images to see a sampling of common invasive plants (marked in red) and suggested native plant alternatives that are more beneficial to pollinators and birds (marked in green). [ downloadable/printable version via this link: Alternatives for Invasive Ornamental Plant Species ]


The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station for the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group, edited by Timothy Abbey, Sept. 2004

[Funding provided by U.S . Dept. of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, The Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group]

Alternatives for Invasive Ornamental Plant Species / Published September 2004 / Edited by Timothy M. Abbey

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station for the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group