Look! Up in the Sky! It’s a Meadow!!??

Something serious is happening to wild bees and butterflies. Populations of many species are in decline and a growing number are endangered. The flowers and trees growing in yards and gardens are part of the solution for protecting pollinators and preserving the ecoservices they provide.

Trees and bees are more than a great combination, it’s a necessary one, for them and us. Trees need bees for converting flowers into fruit, nuts and seeds. Bees need trees for the nutritious nectar and pollen they provide.

Trees have been called “meadows in the sky,” a place where wildlife thrives. What’s happening in the canopy is often missed because it’s higher than where we normally look and when we do, bees and caterpillars are hard to see. We may not know it but trees are busy places for insects.

Some trees are better for bees and caterpillars than others. Native species are best. Native bees and butterflies are well matched with native trees because they evolved together over thousands of years. Each has what is needed by the other to complete their life cycle. The times when bees are active matches when trees are flowering and they have the right shape and skill for accessing the nectar and pollen. This is also true for native trees and butterflies. The nutrition in the leaves is exactly what caterpillars require.

Even among native species, there are a few special trees providing resources for a large number of bees and butterflies. Oaks are at the top of the list. Oaks are a keystone species, capable of sustaining over 500 species of caterpillars. Recent research shows they’re also important for bees. One study found more than ninety species of wild bees active in the forest canopy between March and May. A close examination of what those bees ate revealed it was between 25 and 100 percent tree pollen, primarily from oaks and maples.

The flowers, shrubs and trees growing in yards and gardens make a difference for bees and butterflies.

Planting native keeps them safe.

Native Trees and Shrubs for Illinois Pollinators

Name	height	flower	soil moisture	sun	value
American Plum	15′ – 35′ suckers	white in. early spring	moist	sun, pt shade, shade	pollen, nectar, larval host, fruit for birds
Basswood	30′ – 80′	small, fragrant	dry, moist	sun, pt shade, shade	nectar, larval host
Birch (Gray, River, Sweet, Yellow)	varies by species 20′-70′	catkins	moist, wet	full sun, partial shade	pollen, larval host
Black Chokeberry	3′ – 8′ suckers	white, pink May	moist, dry mesic	light shade, full sun	nectar, pollen, larval host coral hairstreak
Blackhaw Viburnum	12-15 to 30′	spring, white, showy	dry, moist, mesic	full sun, pt shade	nectar, pollen
Buttonbush	6′-12′	white, Jun-Sept	moist – wet	pt shade, shade	nectar, pollen
Cherry, (Wild Black)	80′ ht	white, late spring, early summer	moist to slightly dry	full sun to light shade	nectar, pollen, fruit larval host
Chokecherry	8′-25′	white, mid-late spring	moist to dry mesic	sun, light shade	nectar, pollen
Common Ninebark	3′-9′	white, May-June	moist – dry	full to partial	nectar, pollen
Dogwood (Pagoda)	10′ – 30′ ht	cream to white, late spring early summer	moist, well drained	partial sun	nectar, pollen, larval host
Downy Hawthorn	20′-25′	white, late spring	moist – mesic	moist – mesic	nectar, pollen, larval. host
Mapleleaf Viburnum	2-6′	white, late spring to early summer	mesic – dry	dappled sun, light shade	nectar, pollen
Maples	50′- 80′ ht	red, early to mid-spring	prefers moist but tolerates most soils	full sun to light shade	nectar, pollen, larval host cecropia moth
Nannyberry	20-30′	white, spring	moist to dry	sun, pt shade, shade	nectar, pollen, larval host
Oaks	60′-100′	mid to late spring	mesic to dry mesic	full to partial sun	pollen, larval host
Pussy Willow	15′- 20′	March – April	wet to moist	full sun	pollen, larval host
Red Osier Dogwood	12′	white,late spring – early summer	moist	part shade	nectar, pollen, larval host
Redbud	15′-30′	March- May	moist	pt shade, shade	nectar, pollen
Serviceberry	15′ – 30′ shorter hybrids available	white, April, May	moist	full sun to pt shade	nectar, pollen, larval host

Sources

Illinois Wildflowers

Native Plants of North America

Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation