• VISITthe Preserve
    • Plan Your Visit
      • Purchase Tickets
      • Hours and Admission
      • Directions
      • Map
      • Visitor Center
      • Tips for Visitors
    • What’s in Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Things to See and Do
      • Calendar
      • Follow the Trails
      • For Kids & Families
      • For Birders
  • EXPLOREthe Grounds
    • A Sense of Place
      • Virtual Tour
      • Geology
      • Historic Land Use
      • History of the Preserve
    • Special Habitat Areas
      • Meadow
      • Aquetong Meadow
      • Penn’s Woods
      • Heritage Forest
      • Limestone Habitat
      • Founders’ Pond
      • Pond
      • Pidcock Creek, Dam & Mill Race
      • Green Labyrinth
    • Historic Elements
      • Stone Arch Bridge
      • Log Cabin
      • The Captain James Moore Pavilion
    • News
      • Twinleaf Newsletter
      • In the News
      • Accreditations & Affiliations
  • GROWNative Plants
    • About Native Plants
      • What is a Native Plant?
      • What is a Plant Community?
      • Why are Native Plants and Plant Communities Important?
      • Plant Stewardship at the Preserve
    • Native Plant Nursery
      • Buying Native Plants
      • Native Plant Catalog
      • Grow Houses
      • Plant Grants
    • Garden with Natives
      • Why Native Plants Matter
      • Native Plant Benefits
      • Understanding Plant Communities in Your Garden
      • Attracting Birds, Bees and Butterflies
      • Transitioning Your Garden
      • Get Started
      • Native Plant Profiles from A to Z
      • Right Plant, Right Place
      • Maintaining Your Garden
      • Invasive Species
      • What Threats Do Invasives Pose to Our Native Plant Communities?
    • Living Museum Collection of Native Plants
      • Curation & Acquisitions
      • Partnering with the Community
      • Contributing to Our Plant Collection
  • LEARN& Discover
    • Calendar
    • Tour the Preserve
      • Guided Wildflower Walks
      • Self-Guided Walks
      • Group Tours
    • Talks, Walks, & Lectures
      • Exploring Nature
      • Thursday Night Nature
      • Winter Lecture Series
      • Knowing Native Plants
      • Growing Native Plants
      • Specialty Walks
      • Workshops & Events
        • Ecology & Conservation
        • Art, Health & Nature
        • Birding Programs
        • Penn State Extension Programs
    • Kids & Family Programs
      • Children’s Summer Reading
      • Nature Buddies
      • Nature Explorations
      • Schools & Scouts
        • School Group Tours
        • Off-Site Programs
        • Scout Tour and Badge
    • Become a Naturalist
      • What is a Naturalist?
      • Ask a Naturalist
      • Naturalist Training Overviews
      • Core Training
      • Advanced Training
      • Supplemental Learning
      • Naturalist Fulfillment
    • Conferences & Symposia
      • Land Ethics Symposium
      • Land Ethics Award
      • Native Plants in the Landscape Conference at Millersville
    • Videos
  • PEOPLEof the Preserve
    • Our Story
      • Our Mission
      • What Makes Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve Unique
    • Our Board & Advisors
      • Board of Trustees
      • Advisory Council
    • Our Staff
    • Our Volunteers
    • Voices of Our Volunteers
  • SPECIALEvents
    • Spring Wildflower Gala
      • About the Gala
      • Gala Sponsors & Sponsorship
      • Gala Auction
    • Your Event at the Preserve
      • Wedding & Event Venues
      • Policies & Fees
  • JOIN US& Support
    • Become a Member
      • Levels of Membership
      • Join Now!
      • Library Pass Program
    • Become a Volunteer
      • Opportunities for Everyone
      • Opportunities for Teens
      • Naturalist
      • Corporate Groups/Service Groups
      • Special Projects
      • Volunteer Application
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Give a Gift
      • Annual Fund
      • Endowment Fund
      • Memorial & Tribute Gifts
      • Bequests
      • Form 990
    • Become a Sponsor
      • Land Ethics Symposium
      • Native Plants in the Landscape Conference Millersville
      • Spring Wildflower Gala
    • Additional Sponsorship Opportunities
      • Pocket Habitats in the Community
      • Become a Business Partner
        • Become a Partner
BUY NATIVE PLANTS
GIVE A GIFT TODAY
Contact Us
Bowman's Hill Wildflower PreserveBowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve
  • VISITthe Preserve
    • Plan Your Visit
      • Purchase Tickets
      • Hours and Admission
      • Directions
      • Map
      • Visitor Center
      • Tips for Visitors
    • What’s in Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Things to See and Do
      • Calendar
      • Follow the Trails
      • For Kids & Families
      • For Birders
  • EXPLOREthe Grounds
    • A Sense of Place
      • Virtual Tour
      • Geology
      • Historic Land Use
      • History of the Preserve
    • Special Habitat Areas
      • Meadow
      • Aquetong Meadow
      • Penn’s Woods
      • Heritage Forest
      • Limestone Habitat
      • Founders’ Pond
      • Pond
      • Pidcock Creek, Dam & Mill Race
      • Green Labyrinth
    • Historic Elements
      • Stone Arch Bridge
      • Log Cabin
      • The Captain James Moore Pavilion
    • News
      • Twinleaf Newsletter
      • In the News
      • Accreditations & Affiliations
  • GROWNative Plants
    • About Native Plants
      • What is a Native Plant?
      • What is a Plant Community?
      • Why are Native Plants and Plant Communities Important?
      • Plant Stewardship at the Preserve
    • Native Plant Nursery
      • Buying Native Plants
      • Native Plant Catalog
      • Grow Houses
      • Plant Grants
    • Garden with Natives
      • Why Native Plants Matter
      • Native Plant Benefits
      • Understanding Plant Communities in Your Garden
      • Attracting Birds, Bees and Butterflies
      • Transitioning Your Garden
      • Get Started
      • Native Plant Profiles from A to Z
      • Right Plant, Right Place
      • Maintaining Your Garden
      • Invasive Species
      • What Threats Do Invasives Pose to Our Native Plant Communities?
    • Living Museum Collection of Native Plants
      • Curation & Acquisitions
      • Partnering with the Community
      • Contributing to Our Plant Collection
  • LEARN& Discover
    • Calendar
    • Tour the Preserve
      • Guided Wildflower Walks
      • Self-Guided Walks
      • Group Tours
    • Talks, Walks, & Lectures
      • Exploring Nature
      • Thursday Night Nature
      • Winter Lecture Series
      • Knowing Native Plants
      • Growing Native Plants
      • Specialty Walks
      • Workshops & Events
        • Ecology & Conservation
        • Art, Health & Nature
        • Birding Programs
        • Penn State Extension Programs
    • Kids & Family Programs
      • Children’s Summer Reading
      • Nature Buddies
      • Nature Explorations
      • Schools & Scouts
        • School Group Tours
        • Off-Site Programs
        • Scout Tour and Badge
    • Become a Naturalist
      • What is a Naturalist?
      • Ask a Naturalist
      • Naturalist Training Overviews
      • Core Training
      • Advanced Training
      • Supplemental Learning
      • Naturalist Fulfillment
    • Conferences & Symposia
      • Land Ethics Symposium
      • Land Ethics Award
      • Native Plants in the Landscape Conference at Millersville
    • Videos
  • PEOPLEof the Preserve
    • Our Story
      • Our Mission
      • What Makes Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve Unique
    • Our Board & Advisors
      • Board of Trustees
      • Advisory Council
    • Our Staff
    • Our Volunteers
    • Voices of Our Volunteers
  • SPECIALEvents
    • Spring Wildflower Gala
      • About the Gala
      • Gala Sponsors & Sponsorship
      • Gala Auction
    • Your Event at the Preserve
      • Wedding & Event Venues
      • Policies & Fees
  • JOIN US& Support
    • Become a Member
      • Levels of Membership
      • Join Now!
      • Library Pass Program
    • Become a Volunteer
      • Opportunities for Everyone
      • Opportunities for Teens
      • Naturalist
      • Corporate Groups/Service Groups
      • Special Projects
      • Volunteer Application
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Give a Gift
      • Annual Fund
      • Endowment Fund
      • Memorial & Tribute Gifts
      • Bequests
      • Form 990
    • Become a Sponsor
      • Land Ethics Symposium
      • Native Plants in the Landscape Conference Millersville
      • Spring Wildflower Gala
    • Additional Sponsorship Opportunities
      • Pocket Habitats in the Community
      • Become a Business Partner
        • Become a Partner

Grow Native Plants

  • Home
  • GROW Native Plants
  • Garden With Natives
  • Attracting Birds, Bees and Butterflies

GARDEN WITH NATIVES

Attracting Birds, Bees and Butterflies

Perhaps most importantly for the home gardener, native plant communities are rich in biodiversity. They attract many different kinds of butterflies, native bees and other beautiful pollinators to their flowers. In turn, birds, amphibians and many other species that survive by eating insects will be attracted to your yard, and many will stay to nest and raise their young. You will have created a habitat that will simply buzz with beauty and life!

Some important maintenance tips to keep in mind:

  • Don’t use pesticides or herbicides!  You’ll be killing the insects and birds you want to attract.
  • Do leave the fallen leaves in your beds.  They are the best mulch your plants could have, they provide habitat for insects throughout the winter, those insects may be winter food for hungry ground-feeding birds, and they are free!
  • Consider leaving you spent perennials standing through the winter.  They may be shelter for insects, food for birds in the form of both insects and fruit/seeds.

Native Plants Are for the Birds

If you want to attract birds to your own backyard, planting native species is the way to go! As they have evolved alongside native plants, birds have adapted to eat their berries and seeds, to use them as cover and nesting sites, and as hotspots to forage for the insects that also rely upon native species. Keep in mind that insects, especially caterpillars, are an essential part of most birds’ diets, so consider species that support a variety of butterfly and moth caterpillars.

Below is a list of some of our favorite native trees and shrubs that are great for birds. Many of these species are available for purchase at our nursery:

Photo: Jean Barrell

Common nameScientific Name
OaksQuercus sp.
BlueberriesVaccinium sp.
ArrowwoodViburnum dentatum
Red ChokeberryPhotinia arbutifolia, Aronia arbutifolia
Black CherryPrunus serotina
Flowering DogwoodCornus florida
SpicebushLindera benzoin
WinterberryIlex verticillata
Red-Osier DogwoodCornus sericea
ElderberrySambucus canadensis
Eastern Red CedarJuniperus virginiana
ServiceberryAmelanchier canadensis, A. laevis

For more detail on these plants, refer to Native Plant Profiles from A to Z.

For more recommendations:
Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy
Audubon Native Plants Database https://www.audubon.org/native-plants

Pollinators Are All the Buzz

Pollinators are the engine that keeps our ecosystem running. Without pollination plants cannot reproduce, and 80% of plants are pollinated by insects. Our pollinators are in serious decline and each native plant that you provide can help them to survive. Although plants can be pollinated by wind, birds (hummingbirds), and mammals (bats), the term pollinator is often associated with insects. Bees, butterflies,moths,  flies, beetles and wasps provide the bulk of our pollination services, and we welcome their presence in our gardens. Without insects, many plant species would die off.

When planting for pollinators, try to provide a diversity of plants that bloom throughout the growing season. Following is a list of plants that bloom in succession, from spring through fall:

Pollinators and Pollination Strategies
Photo: Jean Barrell

Common NameScientific Name
BluebellsMertensia virginica
ColumbineAquilegia canadensis
Beard-tongue, FoxglovePenstemon sp.
Bee BalmsMonarda sp.
MilkweedAsclepias sp., NOT A. curassavica
Coneflowers, SunflowersRudbeckia sp., Echinacea purpurea, Helianthus sp.
Mountain MintsPycanthemum muticum, P. muticum, P. virginianum, P. tenuifolium
HyssopAgastache scrofulariifolia, A. foeniculum
GoldenrodSolidago sp., Euthamia sp.
AstersAster sp., Symphyotricum sp., Eurybia sp., Doellingeria sp.
MistflowerConoclinium coelistinum

For further information: http://xerces.org/

Butterflies Are a Flutter

When searching for butterfly-friendly plants, most of us look for plants where we can observe them sipping on nectar. We tend to forget, however, that before there is a butterfly there must be a caterpillar. Butterflies are very specific about their caterpillar plants—many of them have a few closely related plants that their caterpillars can eat to survive. If you want to see butterflies, you need to feed their kids, too – the caterpillars.

Many gardeners worry that insects will destroy their plants, but it would be counterproductive for our native insects to destroy the plants on which they depend. Damage by native insects to native plants is minor and life giving.

Here is a list of common native plants that support butterflies, either as host or nectar plants:

Photo: Jean Barrell
Common NameScientific Name
AstersAster sp., Symphyotricum sp., Eurybia sp., Doellingeria sp.
ConeflowersEchinacea pupurea, Rudbeckia sp.
GoldenrodSolidago sp., Euthamia sp.
Joe-Pye-WeedEupatorium sp., syn. Eutrochium sp.
MilkweedAsclepias sp. Note: NOT Asclepias curassavica
Mountain MintsPycnanthemum muticum, P. incanum, P. virginianum, P. tenuifolium
New Jersey TeaCeanthus americanus
SedgesCarex sp.
SunflowersHelianthus sp.
VioletsViola sp.
Wild Bergamot, BeebalmMonarda sp.

For a more complete list of caterpillar food plants for many of the butterflies in our region:

NJ Native Butterfly Host and Nectar Plants

For further information:

Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy

Audubon Native Plants Database https://www.audubon.org/native-plants

National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder

For more detail on these plants, refer to Native Plant Profiles from A to Z.

Garden with Natives

  • Why Native Plants Matter
  • Native Plant Benefits
  • Understanding Plant Communities in Your Garden
  • Attracting Birds, Bees and Butterflies
  • Transitioning Your Garden
  • Get Started
  • Native Plant Profiles from A to Z
  • Maintaining Your Garden
  • Right Plant, Right Place
  • Invasive Species
  • What Threats Do Invasives Pose to Our Native Plant Communities?

Make a donation to the Preserve today

Donate Now Help support all of our work

Become a member today!

Join today Membership includes admission to the Preserve and more!

EXPERIENCE WHAT’S NATURAL | LEARN WHAT’S NATIVE

Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve inspires the appreciation and use of native plants by serving as a sanctuary and an educational resource for conservation and stewardship.

Make a difference, become a Member today.

CONTACT US
Tel: 215.862.2924
Email: bhwp@bhwp.org
Mail: PO Box 685 | New Hope | PA 18938

1635 River Road | New Hope | PA 18938

Open in Google Maps

HOURS
April - June
Open Daily from 9 am - 5 pm
Last admission at 4pm

July - March
Open Tue - Sun from 10 am - 4 pm
Last admission at 3pm

ADMISSION

GIVE A GIFT TODAY
Preserve Login

© 2021 Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES | PRIVACY POLICY | SITEMAP