With fall coming up, we tend to think more about falling leaves than about flowers. The summer flowering boom period is ending with the approach of fall. However, the fall is a very important season for many pollinators, which still require food and shelter, in preparation for overwintering. Let’s review the importance of fall resources for pollinators, and what you can do to make sure they are available in your planting spaces.

Why is the fall special?

The end of summer/early fall is a special time for many organisms in our temperate regions as this is usually the last chance to gather food for energy and resources to prepare for the winter. In the case of pollinators that are active during this period, the fall is key for collecting sufficient pollen (food) for their nests and finding appropriate overwintering spaces for the adults and/or the offspring, all of which impacts survival until the following year/season. To help the overwintering pollinators, making sure that these resources are available we can plant species that provide benefits throughout the entire growing season.

Providing food for pollinators in the fall

Several local native plants that flower in the fall act as wonderful resources of pollen and nectar (and more!) for our late summer/early fall pollinators. These plants are easy to grow and once established provide abundant resources for our local insects.

Goldenrods

This a group of many species, which flower in the late summer/early fall. Goldenrods are perennials that will create patches once established in an area. For this reason, they are easy to grow, although for this very same reason they may require a bit of containment, as they have a tendency to easily spread. If the latter is a problem, plants can be grown in pots, where the containment issue can be easily resolved.

Goldenrods support a large community of many types of bees (many of which are pollen specialists, and can be rare), as well as butterflies, flies, and wasps. In addition, these plants have tall hollow stems, and can also provide nesting resources for stem-nesting bees. Since these plants present multiple benefits, they are great fall resources for many of our pollinators.

Two easy-to-grow species that can be found in native nurseries are the tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima) and Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis). Both species have long stems that end with many yellow inflorescences. Both species flower in the late summer and early fall, and can be easily grown in green spaces, especially drier sites that are exposed to the sun. Although these plants are great pollinator magnets and afford favorable resources, they tend to spread readily, so, unless that is the intent, they require some control once they become established.

Asters

Asters are another group of plants native to our region that act as great pollinator resources in the fall. These plants are also perennials and can be small or nearly shrub-like, depending on the species. Unlike goldenrods, they tend to display a larger variety of floral coloration, from white, to pink, and purple, depending on the species. Like goldenrods, they provide both food and nesting sites to many pollinators. Their flowers attract a very large variety of pollinators (bees, butterflies, flies, beetles, wasps) during a time when there is little else to feed on. The flowers of these plants are also known to support specialist and often rare bees, which strongly depend on its pollen for survival, as well as many butterflies, including Monarchs. Aster stems are also great sites for stem-nesting bees. Finally, their leaves support the larvae of many local butterflies.

A lovely species that can be grown in our green spaces and has a shrub-like growth habit with hundreds of blue/purple flowers is the New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae). This plant is available at local nurseries, will grow to be 4’ – 5’ tall, requires partial to full sun and does well in a variety of local soils. This is one of the fall pollinator favorites!