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Plant a safe spot for Florida native bees and butterflies
One way to welcome Spring is to create a safe haven for native bees and butterflies. A simple garden, flower box or even a pollinator pot will brighten your spot.
Choosing flowers for a native pollinator pot
Bryce Lovelace, a member of Students for Ecology and Environmental Design at Hillsborough Community College, shares his tips for choosing Florida native wildflowers. He has suggestions based on what type of pollinator you want to attract and tips creating an attractive pot.
If you’re planting to attract bees and butterflies this Spring the only thing your project has to be, is free of pesticides. We suggest featuring native wildflower blooms that pollinators will love and won’t cause invasive harm to your neighborhood if the seeds spread. Below you’ll find native wildflower suggestions for North, Central and South Florida. Pollinator gardens are busy buzzing places and all the activity is a great way to capture the attention of little ones who are learning the role that pollinators play in our ecosystem.
Why pollinators are important
Native bees and butterflies play critical roles as pollinators, necessary for plant growth and seed production. Around the world, 35% of all crops and 90% of all wildflowers rely on bees for pollination. These small insects help keep our supermarket shelves full with bountiful fresh fruits and vegetables. But they’re numbers have dropped drastically in the last decade. During the winter of 2023, Florida beekeepers reported losing 36% of their colonies. Plus, 26 native bee species are listed as “species of greatest need” in our state Wildlife Action Plan. The plan identifies species that are at risk of extinction. Habitat loss, climate change, disease and pesticides are threatening these important pollinators.
A common deadly threat
Pesticide use has soared and many have ingredients that negatively affect bees ability to forage for food and fend off disease. The most damaging are called neonicotinoids, commonly known as neonics. According to some studies, these neurotoxic chemicals slowly kill bees, poison baby bees’ brains, and diminish bees’ ability to learn or forage for food. More than 50 percent of soybeans and 90 percent of corn planted in the U.S. are coated in neonics. And it’s an ingredient you’ll find in pesticides on the shelves of many big box stores.
What can you do
- One of the best ways you can help pollinators fight off threats is to plant a clean, natural safe haven for them. We have some native wildflower suggestions for your planting region below.
- Ask the world’s #1 online marketplace to stop selling pesticides that contain neonics. We can do a lot on Amazon, but we can’t same-day ship a new species. Environment America is calling on Amazon to do its part to help save the bees. By signing this petition you’ll stand with us as we tell this online giant to protect our precious pollinators.
Tips for building a pollinator haven
You can create a safe place for bee workers to get clean fuel to sustain their colonies. By providing the kind of nourishment that can help baby bees flourish and happy queens keep their colonies alive and well, you’ll be protecting some of nature’s most vital workers. We have a few tips to make your pollinator “safe zone” a success.
- Decide if you are going to be planting in the sun or the shade. In Florida, most native plants thrive in the sun, but if you don’t have a sunny spot there are some that can tolerate more shade. For example White milkweed does well in a shady pot.
- If you are planting in a garden, clear your area of weeds and grass, loosen the soil a little with a hoe or shovel but don’t dig deep. If you’re planting in a pot or box, fill it about three quarters full with organic soil. This soil is free of any chemicals and contains organic nutrients to help your plants thrive.
- Plant shallow. If you are using seeds, just cover them with a light layer of soil about ¼ to ⅛ inch thick.
- Give your seeds or transplants a gentle soak. Maintain consistent moisture for the first 4-6 weeks while your plants are germinating and getting established.
Native wildflowers for North Florida
Milkweed - Milkweed is well suited for most Florida landscapes. It can thrive in beds or pots. It’s a larval host plant for Monarch, Queen and Soldier butterflies and bees forage the flowers for pollen and nectar. Butterfly milkweed is the most common and widely recognized but white milkweed also thrives in north Florida. Stay away from Tropical milkweed as it’s non native.
Photo by Peg Urban/Florida Wildflower Foundation | Used by permission
Skullcap - Of the nine native skullcap species, Helmet skullcap is the most common. These stalky stems have showy flowers that come in a variety of colors and are a favorite of bees. Skullcap is best planted in beds.
Photo by Mia McCormick | Used by permission
Softhair and Cutleaf coneflower - These large bright yellow flowers with a dark brown dome in the middle are excellent nectar sources and attract all pollinators. They will grow in either beds or pots. There are many named cultivars of this species, but they are not they are not the same as our Florida plants and are not considered native. Make sure you look for natives.
Photo by Mia McCormick | Used by permission
False rosemary - This evergreen shrub looks like the kind of rosemary you cook with, but when you crush the leaves of this Florida native you’ll notice a minty-fresh smell. Lots of lavender and white blooms are a favorite of native bees. False rosemary is very drought resistant and can be planted in mass or as a single plant in a pot.
Photo by Mia McCormick | Used by permission
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Native wildflowers for Central Florida
Spotted beebalm - Beebalm is well suited for central florida planting zones and it’s perhaps the best known wildflower for attracting a vast number of pollinators. The flowers are beautifully layered and the foliage has an herbal scent. Don’t be surprised if you see a hummingbird hanging around too.
Photo by Rhododendrites on Wikimedia Commons | CC-BY-SA-4.0
Verbena - These beautiful little purple flowers grown in bunches. Tampa Verbena is especially well suited for Central Florida. Verbena is known for attracting a wide variety of butterflies and a few bee species. These wildflowers like to spread so give them some room when planting in a bed or box. In a pot you should only use one plant.
Photo by Mia McCormick | Used by permission
Sage - Not the kind you cook with. Sage is the common name for Salvia and there are several varieties and colors that are native to Florida. These tall stalky plants produce multiple flowers on each stalk that are either coral, red, white or pink. Sage works best in beds and as ground cover. It attracts butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
Photo by Mia McCormick | Used by permission
Aster - Aster will be the star of your pollinator garden because so many different species are attracted to its nectar. There are 26 different kinds native to Florida, and it blooms in a variety of colors from deep violet to lavender, yellow and white. Make sure you choose one that works for your planting purposes. Climbing aster’s limbs can extend to 8 feet and generally do well growing along a trellis or fence. Elliott’s aster is smaller and will do well in boxes or pots.
Photo by Bob Hargrave | CC-BY-SA-3.0
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Native wildflowers for South Florida
Senna - Senna is perfect for south Florida’s hot and balmy climate. Its clumps of small bright yellow flowers are a favorite of all types of pollinators. Senna is a larval host plant for sulphur caterpillars which turn into yellow and orange butterflies. Privet senna will thrive in a pot, and Chapman’s senna prefers a bed. Don’t be fooled by Christmas senna or Butterfly senna at big box stores. These are invasive species.
Photo by Melanie Long/Florida Wildflower Foundation | Used by permission
Tickseed - Tickseed is Florida’s state wildflower and it can grow in any of our planting zones. It’s hardiness makes it a good choice for the Southern region. Clusters of showy yellow flowers attract all kinds of pollinators and it thrives in full sun. It grows best with some room to spread out but can be contained to garden boxes.
Photo by Mia McCormick | Used by permission
Twinflower - Twinflower comes in a variety of types. Oblongleaf twinflower is the largest and the most commonly available. It’s a host plant for the Common Buckeye caterpillar, which turns into a beautiful butterfly. Some bees are attracted to the flower and several butterflies find it’s nectar hard to resist. Twinflower makes a good ground cover or it can be tamed to a pot or hanging basket.
Photo by Mia McCormick | Used by permission
Blanketflower - Blanketflower also known as Firewheel has narrow ray-like petals that are red and orange in the center then become yellow at the tips. This hardy wildflower is known to thrive in even the harshest sun conditions where nothing else will grow. It’s very salt tolerant and prefers sandy soils found near the coast. This flower likes to spread out so it’s a great addition to garden beds.
Photo by Mia McCormick | Used by permission
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Mia McCormick
Advocate, Environment Florida
Mia is focused on fighting for clean waterways, protecting Florida’s environmentally sensitive areas, advocating for stronger wildlife protections and reducing plastic pollution on our beaches. Mia lives in the Tampa Bay area and loves taking her family on nature adventures.
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