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Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

Integrating research and outreach education from UMass Amherst

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Planting for Pollinators

One of the primary causes of pollinator decline is habitat loss – loss of floral resources as well as nesting sites. A positive action that you can do to help pollinators in your yard/community/city is to plant flowering plants and trees, preferably free of neonicotinoids. You can also support organizations and individuals who protect habitat that supports bees (for a list of some national and local groups, click here).

Here are some resources to help you plant for pollinators: 

Xerces NortheastConcise Pollinator Planting Guide (including a list of key plants)

The Xerces Society has published a set of pollinator planting guides for various US regions, including the Northeast. These guides list key pollinator plants by bloom season and summarize principles of attracting pollinators. 

Pollinator Partnership Eastern Broadleaf ForestLonger Pollinator Planting Guide (including a list of key plants)

The Pollinator Partnership has also published a set of pollinator planting guides for various US regions. These guides are considerably longer than the Xerces Society guides (above). For Massachusetts, check out Eastern Broadleaf Forest and

UMass Planting for PollinatorsList of Massachusetts Pollinator Friendly Plants, from the UMass Website

Here is another list of pollinator friendly plants specific to Massachusetts. 

Webcast detailing research about woody plants that support diverse pollinator communities Webcast detailing research about woody plants that support diverse pollinator communities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more background on native plant gardening and links to several resources, see "A Guide to Native Plants & Gardening".

Pollinators

  • Overview
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  • Honey Bees
    • Swarm Removal
    • What to Know Before Getting a Hive
    • Yearly Management
    • Guide to Advanced Bee Courses in Massachusetts
    • The Research Buzz
  • Native Pollinators and Conservation
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    • The Pollinator Buzz
  • Managing Landscapes for Pollinators
    • Planting
    • Pest Management
    • Native Pollinator Plants
    • Where can I get native plants?
  • Current Pollinator Hot Topics
  • Pollinator Job Opportunities
  • Affiliated Faculty and Staff
  • Contact
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Get Social with UMass Pollinators!

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UMass Extension - Pollinators (@umass_pollinators) • Instagram photos and videos

Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

 

Stockbridge Hall,
80 Campus Center Way
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA 01003-9246
Phone: (413) 545-4800
Fax: (413) 545-6555
ag [at] cns [dot] umass [dot] edu (ag[at]cns[dot]umass[dot]edu)

 

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Crops, Dairy, Livestock and Equine

Fruit

Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture

Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry

Pesticide Education

Turf

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Climate Change

Food Science

Nutrition Education

Value-Added Food

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