Penn State Pollinator Trial Results 2013

[rockerBOO]

My favorite plant comes out on top. Clustered Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum). 78 different insects in 2 min, 10 week bloom time.

http://extension.psu.edu/plants/mast...-trial-results


clay and limestone: Wildflower Wednesday: A Mint You and the Pollinators Will Love

00042 Mating Flies - YouTube

00042 Mating Flies - YouTube

[Gloria]

Excellent. 78 different insects in 2 minutes is awesome. I have never grown mountain mint but I may have to remedy that.
I can attest to the accuracy of the bumble bee favorites though numbers are highest in late summer when the hives are at maximum size.There have been hundreds of bees on the lemon queen Helianthus for days on end.

Best plants for attracting bumble bees
1. Lemon queen sunflower (Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’): 8 bumble bees*
2. New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae): 8 bumble bees
3. Purplestem aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum): 7 bumble bees
4. Stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida): 6 bumble bees
5. Coastal plain joe pye weed (Eupatoriadelphus dubius): 6 bumble bees
6. Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa): 6 bumble bees
*Mean number of bees observed per plot in 2 minutes
Thank you to Katie Ellis, Connie Schmotzer and Penn State Master Gardeners who worked and volunteered to help collect this research data.

There was a similar study going on here at the University Of Illinois at Chicago last summer. I almost asked to be part of it with the extension but had family stuff that took us out of town too often. The students brought large containers to garden plots then came and counted insects regularly but we would have been container caretakers and that was problematic as I would not want to delegate that task for days on end in summer.

[kchd]

That is a great find, rB. Any chance you know where the list is of all 88 plant species they evaluated? One of my favorites around here is Pycnanthemum incanum. I've not yet seen any P. muticum here in MS, but the USDA Plants database lists it as being around a few counties.

[NEWisc]

In my area it's Pycnanthemum virginianum, mountain mint, and I definitely have to get some more. Always nice to see info like this coming out.

[Gloria]

These sort of studies also highlight how it does matter which variety of a species is best for a particular area. Most native plant species have varieties with adaptations to local conditions. Liatris as an example has mesic prairie, swamp and even a hillside gravel variety. Every variety has a different quality and will do its best under certain ecological conditions. The insect numbers will vary by where the plant is growing and time frame within the plants life cycle. We learn much by trail and error. It is good to have some accumulated data to use as resource.