Planting for Pollinators and Birds

Fall is beautiful on the East End and we are lucky to have a benign climate that enables many blooming plants and shrubs to keep going to a hard frost. Some people think that the gardening season is over as of Labor Day, but the reality is that some varieties thrive well into November. This is important because pollinating bees and butterflies, and resident and migrating birds are foraging for food and often rely on this nourishment to get them through the winter.

On a sunny fall day, you can see bees and butterflies foraging for nectar and pollen. We have native bees that hibernate and overwinter in the ground and in the stems of plants that remain intact through the winter. Swarming bees continue to stock their hives with the honey they produce from nectar, while others die off in the fall as their food sources dwindle.

Some of the plants that deserve a spot in our gardens, to not only delight us with blooms, but also to provide critical food for pollinators, are goldenrod (Solidago), asters (Symphyotrichum), Sedum Autumn Joy, Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia), Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum), New York ironweed (Vernonia), Anise hyssop (Agastache Foeniculum), mountain mint (Pycnanthemum), and sunflowers (Helianthus).

Now is the time to find these plants in local nurseries; all are perennials and many are natives.

For those of us concerned about the decline in monarch butterflies, we know that there is a generation that migrates to Mexico. We can see groups of them flying along our shorelines and often resting in pine trees during their journey south. They also visit our gardens to refuel, so being able to find several of the plants listed above make a difference to their survival. We know that they seek milkweed as a host plant for laying their eggs earlier in the season. They also appreciate a shallow dish of water to drink, which is especially important given the drought conditions we’re experiencing now.

Unbeknown to many of us, the great bird migration has already started, with thousands if not millions of birds moving throughout skies on their way south. Bird migration starts in early August and runs through November in our area. They typically fly at night — fewer predators, cooler air temperatures and stable air conditions — but they come down periodically to rest and refuel. Some birds are insect eaters, so the flowers that feed insects are crucial for their ability to find insects to eat. Others are looking for berries, seeds and fruits.

The following plants provide terrific food sources for migrating birds, as well as our winter residents: viburnum, especially arrowwood; American holly (Ilex opaca); elderberry (Sambucus nigra); winterberry (Ilex verticillate); chokeberry (Aronia); and American dogwood (Cornus florida).

If you don’t have these shrubs in your garden, fall is a great time to plant them — with the exception of dogwood, which does better with spring planting. Of course, you can also provide birdseed and expect to see migrants, as well as resident birds, enjoying the feast.

Alicia Whitaker is the president of the Westhampton Garden Club. Susanne Jansson is chair of the club’s conservation committee.