Pollinator Flower Preferences

Bees -- Yellow, blue, purple flowers; there are hundreds of types of bees that come in a variety of sizes and have a range of flower preferences;

Butterflies -- Red, orange, yellow, pink, blue; they need to land before feeding, so like flat-topped clusters (e.g., zinnias, calendulas, butterfly weeds) in a sunny location;

Moths -- Light-colored flowers that open at dusk (e.g., evening primroses);

Beetles -- White or dull-colored, fragrant flowers since they can't see colors (e.g., potatoes, roses);

Bats -- Large, light-colored, night-blooming flowers with strong fruity odor (e.g., many cactus flowers); bats don't see well, but have a keen sense of smell;

Flies -- Green, white, cream flowers; many like simple bowl-shaped flowers or clusters;

Carrion-eating flies -- Maroon, brown flowers with foul odors (e.g., wild ginger);

Hummingbirds -- Red, orange, purple/red tubular flowers with lots of nectar, since they live exclusively on flowers (e.g., sages, fuschias, honeysuckles, nasturtiums, columbines, jewelweeds, bee balms); no landing areas needed since they hover while feeding;

Ants -- Although ants like pollen and nectar, they aren't good pollinators, so many flowers have sticky hairs or other mechanisms to keep them out.