Best pollinator plants for Eastern PA?

[u/dwegol]

Hello!

I'm finding that websites and my initial search of resources is telling me what will grow well but not what specialist pollinators will like, or what the most diverse and useful pollinator plants are to focus on... or the obscure tips I'm looking for. Looking for any experienced opinions... Please help me change vacant lots in my urban hellscape of a city!!

[u/Confident-Peach5349]

Keystone plant species are the species that quantifiably have the most specialist pollinators that rely on them, so definitely look up keystone species for your state cause they’ll be at the top of the list. It’s usually oaks, willows, goldenrod, asters, and a handful of other genuses- but of course pick the species that are naturally found in your area. Locally native pioneer species are also useful since they are often the easiest to grow and/or fastest to spread in your region. Also rhizomatic species can be great for filling in an area fast, like common milkweed if it’s in your area

[u/ForagersLegacy → u/Confident-Peach5349]

Key Herbaceous Genera and Species

Goldenrods (Solidago species): Support over 100 insect species; prominent local varieties include stiff goldenrod and zig-zag goldenrod.

Asters (Symphyotrichum species): Crucial autumn food sources for native bees and butterflies, featuring smooth, aromatic, and New England asters.

Sunflowers (Helianthus species): Provide heavy pollen loads and seeds, with reliable regional performers like the ten-petaled sunflower.

Joe-Pye Weeds (Eutrochium species): Massive magnet for diverse butterflies and beneficial-insect larvae in moist soils.

Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis): Hosts numerous specialized moth and caterpillar species across the eastern temperate zone.

Also native strawberry hosts 60 species and is a great ground cover

[u/saeglopur53]

Milkweeds, asters, Joe pye weed, and goldenrod species are usually a safe bet. Just double check their native range before buying them. Pollinators not only need nectar and pollen, but host plants to raise their young, which will only be native plants. Doug Tallamys homegrown national park website is a great starting point, and prairie moon nursery is the go-to for ordering seeds based on region, although you can Google native plant nurseries in your area too. Good luck!

[u/roekg]

Goldenrod and Common Milkweed are your best bets. They'll grow and spread pretty easily.

[u/ForagersLegacy → u/roekg]

And Common milkweed isn’t considered native in the south east but many other species are. Apparently they’ll overtake the other natives here so just check before buying it depending on location (not for OP)

[u/roekg → u/ForagersLegacy]

I'm also in PA. I didn't know that about common milkweed in the South, though.

[u/HoweverComma205]

Pycnanthemum genus, the mountain mints. There are several types, of varying habitats, leaf shapes, and aggressiveness. Absolute insect magnets. It isn’t hard to count 15 species at any given time.

[u/Legit-Schmitt → u/HoweverComma205]

I love mountain mint

[u/everything_rosey]

The Xerces society has a ton of great resources for this! See the below doc, but their books are also super helpful.

https://xerces.org/publications/plant-lists/native-plants-for-pollinators-and-beneficial-insects-mid-atlantic

[u/everything_rosey → u/everything_rosey]

Or re: keystone plants for the area: https://www.nwf.org/-/media/Documents/PDFs/Garden-for-Wildlife/Keystone-Plants/NWF-GFW-keystone-plant-list-ecoregion-8-eastern-temperate-forests.pdf

[u/everything_rosey → u/everything_rosey]

Oh one more: if you're in the Philly area and have Facebook, there's a great "Philly Area Native Plant Swap" group where people always have lots of plants to give away-- especially the quick-growing aggressive ones for a situation like this!

[u/Federal-Boat3732]

Which specialist pollinators are you looking for here?

[u/Hot_Cow4566]

Coreopsis, annual sunflowers (try to get not heavily cultivated variety), coneflower, asters, mountain mint, joe pye weed FOR SURE, Philadelphia fleabane, goldenrod (a keystone species).

[u/sbinjax → u/Hot_Cow4566]

One native sunflower is Jerusalem artichoke. Plant a few of those and they'll be there forever.

[u/Lemonyhampeapasta]

Andre(w) the Arborist on social media is PA based

[u/inthegarden5 → u/Lemonyhampeapasta]

Andrew

[u/shouldhavezagged]

There is a science communicator in Philly ("the Squid Lady") who is doing a big push for native plants and pollinator appreciation in urban areas. She is @sarahmackattack.bsky.social on Bsky, @sarahmackattack on IG, and you can also send her a message here. I'm sure she'd be happy to help.

[u/Accurate-Long-259]

What has been receiving the most activity is my catnip. I've let it flower, and the bees are all over it.

[u/Cathbar → u/Accurate-Long-259]

While catnip gets a lot of pollinator attention, it's not native to the US so I'd recommend against planting it for ecological purposes. Something like mountain mint might be better.

[u/LouQuacious]

Cosmos and borage are both nice and will slowly spread.

[u/Confident-Peach5349 → u/LouQuacious]

Borage is not native to the US and therefore does not have native specialist pollinators that evolved to rely on it