I Love Bees. And in Mid Autumn, I bought several Pots of Nemesias and Violas for them that are flowering through the Winter for them and they will continue to do so through Springtime. I chose mostlt Blues and Pinks and Purples with some Yellow and some White. They have been Enjoying them in my Front and by my Veranda. I will be having some More Articles about BEES on my Blog. There are a few now. Enjoy!
By Brandee Gruener from Southern Living
Brandee Gruener is a digital editor and writer with 20 years of experience. Her articles on gardening, homes, food, and health have appeared in Hunker, American Gardener, and other national and regional publications.
Gorgeous Bees - Who Loves Bees?
Bees and other pollinators don't necessarily like the flowers that we do. Fussy double-flowered peonies, vivid petunias, and scentless pelargoniums aren't of much interest to bees. In fact, bees literally see the garden differently than humans since we don't have the same perception of color. There is one color in particular that bees don't register, no matter how beautiful it looks to us in the garden.
Find out the flower color to avoid if you want to attract bees, which colors bees prefer, and other tips for drawing pollinators to your garden.
The Color Bees Can't See
If you want to attract bees, don't fill your garden with red flowers. Unlike humans, bees cannot see the color red. Though bees have an impressive ability to see ultraviolet light, their eyes lack photoreceptors for red light. To a bee, a pure red flower will appear gray or black—quite dull compared to more brilliant flowers in the garden.
So if bees can't see red, why do we sometimes see them feeding on red flowers? This is because some red flowers reflect blue, green, or ultraviolet light, which are the three main colors that bees perceive. Bees also easily detect the difference between light and dark, so patterns like a dark bull's eye in the center of a red poppy will attract them. Red poppies also happen to reflect ultraviolet light.1
Flower Colors That Attract Bees
Filling your garden with flowers on the cooler end of the spectrum will attract more bees. Scientists have found that bees are most attracted to purple, violet, and blue flowers. However, this doesn't mean that you have to limit your garden's palette to these colors alone. Bees can see yellow, orange, and a color known as "bees' purple." This delightful-sounding hue is a mix of yellow and ultraviolet light.2 Bees will also visit some white flowers, especially those that have contrasting patterns or that reflect ultraviolet light.
Tips On Choosing Flowers To Attract Bees
Color isn't all that matters when choosing flowers for your pollinator garden. Follow these tips for planting the most bee-friendly flowers:
- Bees like flat flowers that provide a landing platform with easy access to nectar, like zinnias and asters.
- Many popular annuals, such as New Guinea impatiens, pansies, petunias, and geraniums, attract few bees. These were bred to have showy flowers rather than nectar.3 Also, fancy double flowers make it too difficult for bees to reach pollen and nectar.
- Bees are very attracted to clusters of tiny flowers containing lots of nectar—think goldenrod, yarrow, and allium. They also love the flowers in your herb garden, so let a few of your herbs bloom.
- Most bees won't feed on the large, tubular flowers that hummingbirds like to visit. But smaller tubular flowers, such as penstemon and pentas, can attract both types of pollinators.
- Include native cultivars that bloom at different times of year in your flower beds. These have naturally adapted to feeding pollinators and will keep the bees busy all season long.
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