It can be difficult to know where to begin if you want to enhance your green space, however small, with blooms that serve a higher purpose. Avid gardener Trudi is here to tell you about the birds and the bees.

When planning your summer and fall garden, consider choosing from a wide range of pollinator-friendly plants that benefit the global growth and reproduction of flowering and food crops. Doing this is critical because, these days, pollinators are fighting an uphill battle due to various environmental issues. 

As plants' little helpers, pollinators move pollen from one plant to the next as they dine on nectar, insects, or the pollen itself. Interestingly, color matters when it comes to attracting pollinators:

• Bees prefer white, yellow, and blue blooms.

• Birds are drawn to red, orange, and white.

• Bright, vivid hues — including red, yellow, and purple — draw butterflies.

And did you know that there are other hard-working pollinators, such as beetles, moths, bats, and small mammals, who also contribute to a healthy ecosystem?

My favorite pollinator plants are easy to find and to care for: aster, black-eyed Susan, cosmos, delphinium, foxglove, and zinnia. If short on time, space, or budget, simply scatter some California poppy or nasturtium seeds. After a bit of water (fog counts) and some occasional sunshine, bees will soon be buzzing about. 

So where to start? The SF Plant Finder is a simple-to-use tool to help with decision-making, allowing you to filter for water needs, soil type, bloom time, and more. If you live in other areas in California or outside the state, Ecoregion Planting Guides offer an abundance of information on native plants and pollinators.

For inspiration or to learn more about pollinators, check out these resources:

• Pollinator Habitat Gardens in SF

• SF Department Environment Department

• University of California Pollinator Plant List

Or, if you just want to go down a rabbit hole and read up on all the good things “beeing” done, start clicking below:

• UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab

• The Bee Conservancy

• Bees for Development

• The World Bee Project

• The Bee and Butterfly Habitat Fund