Plants for Specialist Bees

This list shows first the name of a genus commonly used by specialist bees, and then a common name of a plant in that genus, as an example. The genus list was supplied by Sam Droege, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Biologist as part of a talk he gave in May of 2015, sponsored jointly by our Potowmack Chapter and the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists. For the entire list including species of the bees and which plants they use,  see his recent report, written with Jarrod Fowler, “Specialist Bees of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States,”

Virginia is one of the three states most inhabited by specialist bees, please see our blog report for more information:  Specialist Bees Need Special Plants

Agalinis: False foxglove
Arabis: Rock cress
Bidens: Beggar ticks
Cardamine: Toothwort, Cress
Ceanothus: New Jersey Tea

Chrysopsis: Golden aster
Cirsium:Thistle – native one
Claytonia: Spring beauty

Erythronium: Trout lily
Euthamia: Goldenrod, several plants with common names with ‘goldenrod’ in this genus, as opposed the the goldenrods in Solidago

Galactia: Milk pea
Gaylussacia: Huckleberry
Geranium: Geranium maculatum
Helianthus: Sunflower
Heterotheca: Camphorweed

Heucera: Alumroot
Hibiscus: Rose mallow
Hydrophyllum: Waterleaf
Ipomoea: Morning glory, the native ones
Krigia: Dwarf dandelion

Lyonia: Staggerbush, Maleberry
Lysimachia: Loosestrife (yes, the yellow one is native)
Monarda: Fistulosa, bergamont
Nemophila: Baby blue eyes
Packera: Ragwort

Penstemon: Beardtongue
Phacelia: Phacelia
Physalis: Ground cherry
Pityopsis: Silk grass
Pontederia: Pickerelweed

Potentilla: Cinquefoil
Rhododendron: Rhododendron
Rudbeckia: Hirta, Fulgida
Salix: Willow
Solidago: Goldenrod
Strophostyles: Wild bean

Swida: https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org/species/swida/alternifolia/
Symphyotrichum: Aster

Uvularia: Merrybells
Vaccinium: Blueberry

Verbena: Vervain
Vernonia: Ironweed
Viola: Violet

Zizia: Golden alexander