Your Planting Guide for Native Bees

The Pacific Northwest is home to more than 600 native bee species, and each one plays an important role in pollinating our plants and crops every year. For example, while the charismatic bumble bee can be seen buzzing from first thaw to early fall, most native bee species live only a few weeks! These different lifespans are why it’s so important to fill your garden with all kinds of flowering plants and bloom times so that bees have a consistent food source throughout the year. Use this short list as a guide to create a diverse habitat for all of our pollinators!

Thank you to Peg Ferm Design LLC for providing this information. Peg is a registered landscape architect and has 33 years of experience in landscape architecture, including residential and commercial design, wetland mitigation, streambank restoration, buffer design, and park and trail planning.