The bee fauna associated with Pacific Northwest (USA) native plants for gardens

Growing public awareness of pollinator declines has led to an increase in gardening for pollinators, particularly bees. In most regions of the United States a better understanding of the plants that support abundant and species rich bee communities will help urban pollinator conservation programs. To address this, we compared the relative attractiveness of 23 native Pacific Northwest plant species to bees. We performed timed bee counts and vacuum-sampled bee communities, weekly, when plots were in peak bloom. Across three field seasons, we found that Douglas' aster (Symphyotrichum subspicatum), California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), varileaf phacelia (Phacelia heterophylla), Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), farewell-to-spring (Clarkia amoena), globe gilia (Gilia capitata), and Oregon sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum) consistently harbored high bee abundance and species richness, and show great potential for garden pollinator plantings. These findings can be applied to residential and community gardens, municipal parks and other plantings, as well as by restoration professionals and policy makers interested in creating and supporting pollinator habitat.