Pollinators and Native Plants
Pollination happens flower to flower. Birds, bees, bats, butterflies, moths, beetles, animals, and wind move pollen.
The relationship of native plants and pollinating insects goes back to early terrestrial life. Through time flowering plants and insects developed together as one needs the other to survive and thrive. Seemingly rugged, the relationship is fragile with the loss of habitat.
The bloom times, the distance of pollinator nests to plants, the specific shape and color of certain flowers, the length of the tongues (proboscis) of insects and diversity of surroundings are all significant to the diversity of different pollinator species. A monolectic insect will collect pollen from one species of plants where a polylectic insect with collect from more than one species.
Cultivars have altered features that may or may not function for pollinators in the same way as native species. Therefore, to fully support our pollinators plant native species.
The subject has been eloquently treated in the book:
BRINGING NATURE HOME How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens by Douglas W. Tallamy
Other good books:
The Xerces Society Guide: ATTRACTING NATIVE POLLINATORS
Pollinators of Native Plants by Heather Holm
The following websites offer lots of information about pollinators: