Anything that flowers produces pollen right - so hmm.
However, I always like to have a patch of wild flowers (localy sourced previous year for seed) in along with chives and lavander. Look nice and just before the lockdown I went out and sowed some in a few spots along with some sunflowers.
Logic being that they will bloom around the time everybody really down from the lockdown and help chirp up people, also good for nature and birds love sunflower seed. Which is one thing I feed them regularly with my window feeder and been a joy over the past few weeks and months ahead.
You can make a window bird feeder with some perspex or even cut and glue up some milk containers - few suction cups and tada, simple and effective little bird feeder and they do use them and who needs 4k/8k.. when you have real life out a window comming to you. Highly recommended.
> Anything that flowers produces pollen right - so hmm.
Technically, that may be right but is beyond the point. Very often, for alien species the local pollinators will not recognize the plant as such and thus ignore it. A prime example for this is Forsythia that a lot of people in my area plant because its one of the first flowering trees in the year. However, from an ecological standpoint it is worthless and for some insects even suspected to be toxic.
Another problem are breeds where the blossom is filled with extra petals. While this may look nice to us, it makes the pollen and nectar inaccessible to many insects. As they are still drawn to the flower but cannot reach it, its also net negative for those critters.
> Anything that flowers produces pollen right - so hmm.
Yes, but not all pollens are designed to feed insects. Yews or Cypresses release huge amounts of pollen that will paint a car in yellow, but will not attract pollinators.
Ah yes, those are wind pollinating plants, well tree's.
Would also explain the volume of pollen over normal insect pollinated plants. Thank you for that though, I did overlook those type of pollinated plants. Though I'm not aware of any flowers that are wind pollinated, though I'm sure their will be some as every rule has an exception I've found.
The thing is, pollinators have to eat all year. You get more bang for your buck by planting things with long or repeated flowering intervals, or things that bloom at odd times. I've seen rosemary flower 3 times in one year due to sustained rainy periods.
And then there are predator species that need certain flowers for forage or shelter during some part of their lifecycle, like lady beetles or some predatory wasps with yarrow (a common volunteer plant in NA)
However, I always like to have a patch of wild flowers (localy sourced previous year for seed) in along with chives and lavander. Look nice and just before the lockdown I went out and sowed some in a few spots along with some sunflowers.
Logic being that they will bloom around the time everybody really down from the lockdown and help chirp up people, also good for nature and birds love sunflower seed. Which is one thing I feed them regularly with my window feeder and been a joy over the past few weeks and months ahead.
You can make a window bird feeder with some perspex or even cut and glue up some milk containers - few suction cups and tada, simple and effective little bird feeder and they do use them and who needs 4k/8k.. when you have real life out a window comming to you. Highly recommended.