Did you know that these insects are pollinators?

They may not get as much attention as bees and butterflies, but they should! Learn more about the 5 lesser-known, but still important, pollinators.

Lesser Known Pollinators

When you think of pollinators, the European bee and monarch butterfly no doubt come to mind. These species are under stress, experiencing massive population losses, and making headlines; Indeed, we should be concerned about their plight. But they're not the only important pollinators. They all do. Ants, flies, lady beetles, soldier beetles and even wasps perform important jobs in our gardens. I'll show you how to recognize and welcome these lesser-known pollinators.

Cross pollination

With sustainable gardening, you can help protect all the wildlife in your garden's ecosystem. Eliminating or reducing pesticide applications, making sure these beneficial insects are plentiful enough to eat at the right time, and providing better habitat can help protect pollinators. Here's what each of these fascinating insects needs.

Common black ant (Laceus niger)

Ants are a group of nectar-loving social insects. Although often viewed as pests, ants play an important role in our ecosystem, including pollination. Did you know that the common black ant often pollinates pumpkins? Pumpkin flowers only open for a short time, so if they stay open and there aren't ants around, your pumpkin won't get pollinated. (But don't worry too much: Bees pollinate pumpkins, so if ants aren't doing it, bees might be.)

Ever notice ants on your peonies? Ants don't actually pollinate peonies, but they do make pollination possible. Peonies secrete nectar from the flower buds. When ants climb the stems to harvest nectar, they chase away other insects that feed on the flowers, such as scale insects, mites, and thrips. The ants protect their high-energy food source, while the peony receives protection from predators that might destroy the flower bud (and thus the flowers for future pollination).

Attracts black ants

Ants feast on nectar-rich flowers and visit inconspicuous, low-growing flowers near the stem. Ants are wingless and must crawl through each flower to reach their reward.

Favorite plants

Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginium)

Marigold (Tagetes spp. and hybrids)

Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo)

Goldenrod soldier beetle (Chauleognathus pennsylvanicus)

The goldenrod soldier beetle is mostly found on goldenrod flowers, as the name suggests, but it also visits many fall and late summer flowers. The goldenrod soldier beetle feeds primarily on flower pollen and nectar, and in doing so, pollination occurs; They eat small insects such as caterpillars as well as insect eggs and aphids.

Goldenrod soldier beetles are harmless; They do not bite or sting. Worms do not cause damage to plants like insects that eat plants: Goldenrod soldier beetle larvae live in the soil and eat other insects.

Goldenrod attracts soldier beetles

Fall-blooming plants like the sunflowers above are especially essential for insects like the goldenrod soldier beetle to store food for winter survival. In fact, sunflowers are so attractive to pollinators that they are a major part of the nationwide pollinator count! Since 2008, citizen scientists have contributed to The Great Sunflower Project to help scientists assess pollinator populations across the United States.

Favorite Plants:

Anise Henna (Agustache phoeniculum)

Goldenrod (Solidago spp. and hybrids)

Milkweed (Asclepias spp. and hybrids)

Queen Anne's Lace (Dacus carota)

Rattlesnake Master (Erynchium eusifolium)

Sunflower (Helianthus spp. and hybrids)

Flower fly

Forget the flyswatter and meet the flower flies. This group of flies from the Syrpidae family feed on a variety of flowers, and at first glance, you might not think they are flies. Flower flies are delightfully colorful and easy to spot. All you have to do is look for them. Because many flower flies mimic bees or wasps with their yellow and black stripes, you might not even know you're seeing a fly.

Identification of flower flies

The easiest way to tell the difference between flies and bees or wasps is the number of wings: flies have two wings, bees and wasps have four. Wasps have a shrunk waist. Bees are hairy, some more than others, but flower flies are not. And flower flies called "hover flies" have different habits, such as hovering before looking for a flower.

The diet of a flower fly in the larval or grub cycle is different from that of an adult: many flower flies feed on aphids. So, the female lays her eggs on plants that contain insects, so once the larvae hatch from the eggs, the food is ready. Look closely at your plants with aphids, such as roses or milkweed, and you may find the larvae eating the aphids. That's what's going on above.

A master of disguise

Most predators avoid bees and wasps. Many flower flies mimic wasps to imitate the compound antennae of the potter wasp. Scientists believe this mimicry is a form of defense because the birds eat flies, but not wasps or bees.

Flower attracts flies

Adult flower flies feed on both nectar and pollen, visiting a variety of flowers each day. When they eat, pollination occurs. Their flower preferences are plants with aphids because they can get nectar and pollen and don't have to travel far to reproduce. Did you know that hoverflies can control up to 70 percent of aphid infestations? Instead of chasing aphids off your plants, wait for their predators. Attracting flower flies will do the work for you!

Favorite Plants:

Aster (Symbiotrichum spp. and hybrids)

Milkweed (Asclepias spp. and hybrids)

Rose (Rosa spp. and hybrids)

Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)

Lady beetles (Coccinellidae spp.)

The lady beetle is often called a gardener's best friend because we eat insects like mites, thrips, whiteflies and aphids! In fact, the female beetle does not lay eggs without aphids. As female beetles feed, they move pollen from flower to flower. Like flower flies, a female beetle lays her eggs on plants, where the larvae find food once the eggs hatch. All 450 species of female beetles in North America require both insects and pollen to survive, as the larvae feed on a wide diet of soft-bodied insects, including aphids, adelgids, mites, and insect eggs. To protect them, do not spray pesticides on flowering plants.

Attracts female beetles

Lady beetles prefer plants with flat flowers so they can easily feed on them.

Favorite Plants:

Caraway (Caram Garvey)

Coreopsis (Coreopsis spp. and hybrids)

Cosmos (Cosmos spp. and hybrids)

Dill (Anethum graveolens)

Fennel (Foniculum vulgare)

Marigold (Tagetes spp. and hybrids)

Nasturtium (Nasturtium majus)

Sunflower (Helianthus spp. and hybrids)

Mud dauber wasp (Siliphron cementarium)

A notable characteristic of any wasp is its steep pelvis, and the mud wasp takes this to an extreme! Mud dauber wasps are capable of stinging like all wasps; But unlike bees, which sting to protect their social hive, mud bugs are rare. Being solitary insects, they do not have a nest to defend.

Mud daubers build small mud nests that resemble ancient adobes, but are round. These nests are common around houses, sheds and other open structures. Mature soil dauber wasps feed on nectar and pollen from flowers. In doing so, they are considered excellent pollinators, but because of their soft bodies, they are not as efficient as bees with hairy bodies.

Mud dabbers also feed on nectar (a sugary sticky liquid secreted by aphids) and body fluids from the spiders they trap.

Mud dauber attracts wasps

Mud dauber are attracted to yellow (including your yellow shirt or hat!). Although they will feed off of other colors, plant yellow flowers like dill below to really bring them in.