Some flowers are better than others for attracting small wasps and flies that are predators or parasitoids of pest insects. Flower architecture and insect morphology are important in determining what’s a good bug flower. Many natural enemy species are around as adults only for short periods during the growing season, so to be useful, pollen and nectar must be available when the adults are active. This is most easily achieved by planting a mixture of plants that have relatively long blooming periods that overlap in time. In the home garden, sequential plantings of dill, coriander, and caraway can be made to provide a continuous source of their valuable flowers throughout the season.
Good Flowers For Bugs | ||
Umbelliferae (Carrot Family) | ||
caraway | Carum carvi | |
coriander (cilantro) | Coriandrum sativum | |
dill | Anethum graveolens | |
fennel | Foeniculum vulgare | |
flowering ammi or Bishop's flower | Ammi majus | |
Queen Anne's Lace (wild carrot) | Daucus carota | |
toothpick ammi | Ammi visnaga | |
wild parsnip | Pastinaca sativa | |
Compositae (Aster Family) | ||
blanketflower | Gaillardia spp. | |
coneflower | Echinacea spp | |
coreopsis | Coreopsis spp. | |
cosmos | Cosmos spp. | |
goldenrod | Solidago spp. | |
sunflower | Helianthus spp. | |
tansy | Tanacetum vulgare | |
yarrow | Achillea spp. | |
Fabaceae (Bean Family) | ||
alfalfa | Medicago sativa | |
big flower vetch | Vicia spp. | |
fava bean | Vicia fava | |
hairy vetch | Vicia villosa | |
sweet clover | Melilotus spp. | |
Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) | ||
Basket-of-Gold alyssum | Aurinium saxatilis | |
hoary alyssum | Berteroa incana | |
mustards | Brassica spp. | |
sweet alyssum | Lobularia maritima | |
yellow rocket | Barbarea vulgaris | |
wild mustard | Brassica kaber | |
Other plant families | ||
buckwheat | Fagopyrum sagittatum | |
cinquefoil | Potentilla spp. | |
milkweeds | Asclepias spp. | |
phacelia (Note that many of these plants are considered weeds!) | Phacelia spp. |
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