United States Department of Agriculture
NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE
Biology
Biology Technical Note No. MT-20 (Rev. 3)
March 2008
BIOLOGY TECHNICAL NOTE
Habitat Development for Pollinator Insects
Two-thirds of the world’s crop species depend on insects for pollination, which accounts for 15-
30 percent of the food and beverages we consume. Pollinators (insects, some birds and bats) are
key to the function of many terrestrial eco-systems because they enhance native plant
reproduction. Native plants provide food and cover for numerous wildlife species, help stabilize
the soil and improve water quality. As a group, pollinators are threatened worldwide by habitat
loss and fragmentation, pesticides, disease, and parasites. This has serious economic
implications for humans and for native eco-system diversity and stability.
The NRCS can assist landowners with habitat enhancement for pollinators by encouraging them
to establish an array of plants that flower throughout the entire growing season to provide a
source of nectar for adult pollinators and a diversity of herbaceous material for immature
pollinator life stages.
Herbaceous plantings should include one grass adapted to the site and at least one different forb
or shrub from each of the three flowering categories, i.e., early, mid, and late which are listed
below. Page 3 shows alternative species example mixtures emphasizing pollinator-friendly
plants.
NRCS−Montana−Technical Note−Biology−MT-20 (Rev. 3)
1
Early Flowering
Group
Mid Flowering
Group
Late Flowering Group
Native:
Lewis Flax
Indian blanket
flower
Indian blanket flower
Yarrow
Maximilian
sunflower
Maximilian sunflower
American plum
Prairie coneflower
Prairie coneflower
Black hawthorn
Purple prairieclover
Purple prairieclover
Chokecherry
Rocky Mountain
penstemon
White prairie clover
Golden current
White prairieclover
Dotted gayfeather
Red-osier dogwood Common snowberry Globe mallow
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