It is that time of year when gardens and meadows are graced with beautiful flowers to behold and admire. Take a closer look and pollinators are busy moving from one flower to the next in search of nectar and pollen. This symbiotic relationship between plants and pollinators is vital for each one to survive.

Pollen supplies nutrients and nectar provides energy for pollinators. In turn, flowering plants are fertilized to reproduce and provide essential natural resources for animals and people.

When gardening for pollinators, create a rich environment where they can flourish.

Why should we be concerned about pollinators?

Pollinator populations are decreasing at an alarming rate. Much of this is due to loss of feeding and nesting habitats, climate change, invasive pests, and misuse of chemicals and pesticides.

The loss of these creatures would severely cause diminished crop production and quality of food. One third of the food eaten by people is a direct result of pollinators.

Fruits, avocados and nuts depend heavily on pollinators.

Who are nature’s pollinators?

Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, bats, including beetles, wasps and flies pollinate flowers. Bees are the best and most efficient pollinators. They are experts at crawling deep inside blossoms searching for nectar and harvesting pollen from one plant to another. There are more than 4,000 species of bees in North America. Yellow-faced bumblebee (Bombus vosnesenskii), Mason (Osmia), and Leafcutter (Megachili) bees, to name a few, are native to Washington state.

Butterflies and moths have the most complex plant-pollinator relationship. They require specific host plants, such as Pacific ninebark (Physocarpus), to lay their eggs and nectar plants for their primary food source. Some favored nectar plants are mock orange (Philadelphus) and Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum).

While butterflies pollinate flowers by day, moths continue the work of pollination for evening bloomers. Some butterflies native to the Olympic Peninsula are painted lady (Vanessa cardui) and western tiger swallowtail (Papilio rutulus), which is often confused with Monarch (Danaus Plexippus) butterflies.

The Anna (Calypte anna) and rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) are native to Washington. Anna’s live here all year-round, whereas, the rufous migrate and return in the spring. Their impressive flying abilities allow them to hover and drink nectar deep within tubular flowers.

In addition, they are able to move pollen over great distances.

Beetles are the most diverse of all pollinators. The Flower Longhorn beetles (Typocerus) pollinate flowers from spring to autumn. Soldier beetles (Cantharidae) are related to fireflies. They feed on pollen and nectar and protect plants from aphids.

What are essential elements for a pollinator garden?

• Use native plants. The most important way to offer food to pollinators is through native plants. The presence of these plants provides a sustainable food source and increases the abundance of pollinators. Common camas (Camassia quamash), clarkia (Clarkia), native honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa) and elderberry (Sambucus racemose) are some favorites of pollinators.

• Grow a variety of plants that bloom in various seasons. This not only provides for a beautiful garden but ensures that nectar and pollen is abundant for early spring pollinators and is available for those that emerge in later months. Early spring bloomers include red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) and Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium). Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana) and western columbine (Aquilegia Formosa) offer nourishment from late spring through early summer. Late blooming plants such as goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) and Douglas aster (Symphyotrichum subspicatum) supply nutrients for pollinators to feast on in preparation for winter hibernation.

• Include flowers with different colors, shapes and sizes. Pollinators have excellent eyesight and a sense of smell that helps them find food. Plants with blue and purple flowers such as California lilac (Ceanothus) are favored by bees. Butterflies flock to flowers that are purple, pink, red or orange. They need flat-topped or tightly clustered blooms to perch upon, for example, black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and coneflower (Echinacea). Moths are attracted to pale or white blooms that open in the evening and are sweet smelling. Hummingbirds desire red flowers. While hovering, they can extract nectar from tubular flowers, such as orange honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa).

• Group flowers in clumps by using a repetition of blooms and colors. It takes a lot of energy for bees and butterflies to forage for nectar and pollen. To increase their pollination efficiency, have large groupings of plants. Avoid cultivated flowers and those with double blooms as they make it difficult for pollinators to access pollen and nectar. Most of these flowers are also sterile.

• Create a reliable source of water. Water sources are crucial for pollinators to survive. This can be a bird bath or a shallow dish filled with stones where bees and birds can safely perch. Mud puddles are beneficial to butterflies where they can extract much needed salt and minerals to supplement their diets.

• Provide a variety of habitats for pollinators. Leaf litter, fallen tree branches, rocks, and bare ground all provide shelter for ground-dwelling and over-wintering pollinators. Vines, trellises, and grasses also serve as windbreaks and nesting sites.

• Above all, avoid using pesticides in the garden. When used, these products contaminate plant and soil material used by bees and other pollinators in constructing nests. They can be toxic or keep pollinators from effectively performing their jobs.

To learn more about “Gardening for Pollinators,” Master Gardeners, Ed Adams, Cece Fitton and Loretta Ferguson will give a presentation from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 27, at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden,2711 Woodcock Road.

Loretta Ferguson is a .