Trees And Pollinators

Trees are critically important in the food cycles of many insects, birds and mammals, including humans. The majority of our food crops depend on  pollinators for fertilization. And the numbers of pollinators are in serious decline.

Pollinators include Butterflies and Moths (lepidoptera family) as well as Bees, Wasps,Beetles and Flies.

Please remember that dead wood is also critical for pollinators. Approximately 30% (around 1,200 species) of Bee species in North America are wood nesters. Generally, these bees nest in abandoned beetle tunnels in logs, stumps and snags. Dead limbs, logs or snags should be preserved wherever possible (Xerces Society, Pollinator Conservation Strategy, 2009).

The information in the following table is taken from ‘Bringing Nature Home’ by Douglas W. Tallamy, and available at Guelph Public Library.

Common Name Plant Genus No. of Species Supported
Oak

Willow

Cherry, Plum

Birch

Poplar (cottonwood)

Crabapple

Maple

Elm

Pine

Hickory

Hawthorn

Spruce

Ash

Basswood (Linden)

Hazelnut

Walnut (Butternut)

Beech

Chestnut

Quercus

Salix

Prunus

Betula

Populus

Malus

Acer

Ulmus

Pinus

Carya

Cratageus

Picea

Fraxinus

Tilia

Corylus

Juglans

Fagus

Castanea

517

456

448

413

368

311

285

213

203

200

159

156

150

150

131

130

126

125