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Bring Back the Pollinators

A large fluffy bee drinking from a shallow pool of water
If You’re Thirsty, They’re Thirsty: Make a Simple Water Source To Support Pollinators
Even a humble puddle can make a big impact for your backyard wildlife. Learn how to make one that fits your space.
Several flowering perennial plants along the edge of a sidewalk.
They Go with Everything: Even a Small Patch of Native Wildflowers Makes a Difference
Jennifer Hopwood shares how adding even a few plants is the perfect complement to the other habitat features of your yard, garden, or balcony.
A bee emerging from its nest entrance, which has been dug into sandy soil. The bee has a black body covered all over in short blonde fur.
Clear Space for Bees: Why Pollinators in Your Yard Need Access To Bare Ground
Open patches of soil and sand, with few or no plants, are a key nesting habitat for the majority of native bees, and easy for us to provide.
A mining bee peeking its fuzzy head out of its burrow, dug out of soil directly under a stone. The bee is covered in orange fluffy fur. Numerous other beneficial insects also make their homes in gaps or burrows dug out from the soil under a stone.
Wildlife on the Rocks: Providing the Rocky Habitats Bugs Need for Shelter
Rock piles and stone walls might seem like they take yard space away from plants, but these features are crucial to support a diverse wildlife community.
A bright metallic green bee peeking its head out of a round hole in a mossy log. Once, a beetle excavated this tunnel, on its way out from the fallen log that it had lived inside as a larva. Now, the bee has remodeled the tunnel for its nest.
Tiny Places for Tiny Animals: Building the Microhabitats that Bugs Need to Thrive
It’s easy to add small features, like a brush pile, dead stems, or a leafy corner that can make a big difference for wildlife! Here's how.
U School garden in front of the school, which is painted in murals
High School Students Depave a Parking Lot to Plant a Garden
With support from USDA NRCS, Xerces, and the local community, a Philadelphia high school parking lot became a space for gardening and pollinator habitat.
Volunteers weeding in a People's Garden in the Bronx
Planting for Bees, Butterflies, and Beauty in the Bronx
Two urban farms in the Bronx demonstrate a symbiotic relationship between people and pollinators. Communities at the Garden of Happiness and Tawqua Community Farm restore quality pollinator habitat and pollinators keep the gardens thriving and producing.
A bee foraging on a yellow and purple flower in a suburban garden. The bee is golden-brown and hairy, and has very long antennae. The flower has many narrow, purple petals that radiate out from the yellow center. The flower is growing in a flower border beside a house. Behind can be seen a blue garage door and a white sedan parked on the driveway.
Four Steps You can Take to Bring Back the Pollinators
Bees and other pollinators are clearly facing challenges from habitat loss and pesticide use, even climate change. By managing our gardens, parks, and other greenspaces with pollinators in mind, we can transform our towns and cities to support the insects that are essential for a healthy environment—and if we all do something, together we can have a big impact. Xerces' Bring Back the Pollinators campaign provides one way to achieve this change.
Shrubs and a pile of leaves stand near a pollinator habitat sign. (Photo: Matthew Shepherd / Xerces Society)
Midwinter Tasks for Pollinator Gardening
Even in January there are small actions you can take to support pollinators. Xerces' Pesticide Program Director Aimée Code shares what's on her winter chore list for her Pacific Northwest pollinator garden.
This photograph shows a flowering meadow on the edge of an orchard. The flowers include tall dark-purple flowers, lower growing pale-purple flowers, and darker pink blooms beyond. In the distance can be seen green forest covering gently sloping hills. The sky has white and pale gray clouds.
Creating Wildflower Meadows from Scratch or by Simply Changing Mowing Regimes
When someone asks for help to increase pollinators in their landscape, many times the initial request is to start a pollinator meadow from seed. We love successful wildflower meadows started from scratch—but they can take several years of work. In the right place, just reducing mowing can result in improved conditions for pollinators.
A roadside sign that is a bright green color with the message “MOSQUITO SPRAYING KILLS BEES” in black text. A silver-colored car and a bus drive past in the background.
Bee City USA Affiliate Spotlight: Decatur, GA
The Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA network includes more than 270 communities. The Decatur, GA, affiliate has made mosquito spraying by individual homeowners a central part of its advocacy efforts to protect pollinators.
A front garden in which flowers have been planted. Small circles of recently dug soil surround each small, green plant. The garden is edged by a wooden fence made of two horizontal rails and widely spaced posts. In the foreground, attached to the fence is a sign. The sign is green, with colorful flowers and an orange butterfly and brown lettering that says “pollinator habitat”.
Santa Fe Pollinator Habitat Kit Program Connects Pollinators and People
In Santa Fe, NM, Xerces is working with local partners to develop a city-wide Pollinator Trail focused on creating connected habitat through neighborhoods that lack greenspaces. In September, after months of planning and preparation, 350 habitat kits were distributed to residents and organizations. When many people come together around a common goal, small efforts can quickly add up to large-scale conservation.
Two women stand beside a farm field. One has a black shirt and pale brown pant. The other black pants and a pale brown shirt and is wearing a broad-brimmed hat and carries an orange bag. A strip of brown grass stretches down the edge of the field. Beside the field is an orchard of trees with white trunks and green leaves. In the distance is a green barn and houses with red roofs, and beyond them hills rising toward the blue sky.
The Value of Conservation Planning
Land owners and managers across the state of California have taken up the call to get more habitat in the ground for monarchs. But there’s one important process that comes into play prior to on-the-ground restoration: before we can plant, we plan.
A group of young people standing a classroom holding wooden insect houses that they have been building. Some people have blonde hair, some brown, and some black. A few of the group are wearing head scarfs. The insect houses are square frames with a pointed roof.
Bee City USA & Bee Campus USA Affiliate Spotlight: University of Michigan-Dearborn
Pollinators are in decline, but what can a small or medium-sized university or college do to help? As it turns out, plenty. The University of Michigan-Dearborn has an outsized, long, and rich tradition of promoting environmental education and sustainability, especially in regards to pollinators—and in autumn 2019, was certified as a Bee Campus USA affiliate.
A women wearing a shite shite and a straw hat stands in a meadow, with plants and yellow flowers up to her waist. Behind her a line of tall trees with green leaves stretches into the distance.
Coming Home: A Woman Landowner’s Conservation Calling
The next generation is something Ruth Rabinowitz spends a lot of time thinking about. As an Iowa farmer with a deep commitment to conservation, she feels it’s important for her to remember to look beyond her own lifetime.
A flower bed beside a street in a downtown. The flowers include purple asters and yellow coneflowers. Behind are large mirrored glass windows of a store, which reflect the buildings opposite.
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – July 2021
In July's Pollinator Team Digest, Sarah Hamilton Buxton describes a multi-organization collaboration bringing pollinator plantings to the heart of Bismarck, ND, and Jennifer Hopwood introduces the amazing life beneath our feet that is at the center of a new conservation initiative focused on soil life.
Two moths with pink and brown wings and very hairy, pale brown bodies drink nectar from a yellow flower
For the Love of Moths
Moths get a bad reputation as pest insects or being overly drab, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Even the dullest moth from afar is actually quite beautiful when you get up close and day-active species are so large and colorful that they’re often confused for butterflies..
Wildflowers grow beside a quite rural road. The most abundant plant has small gray-green leaves that grow on horizontal branches and a clyster of long, narrow spikes of dark purple flowers at the top of the stem
Pollinators Find a Home on Roadsides
State Departments of Transportation manage millions of acres of land and have an opportunity to make a significant difference for pollinators. Roadsides provide pollinator habitat, as well as connectivity across otherwise inhospitable landscapes -- and may be home to native plant communities that can no longer be found in surrounding lands.
Gently undulating rangeland stretches to the horizon. The silver-grey leaves of plants show between the green grass. In the distance a cluster of farm buildings sit in the shelter of trees. Brown and black cattle graze.
Great Plains Rangelands Are Important Habitat for Pollinators
Rangelands of the Great Plains are a highly diverse—and endangered—ecosystem filled with subtle beauty that is often underappreciated. These landscapes evolved with natural disturbances, such as grazing and wildfire. Maintaining disturbance through active management is essential for healthy rangelands and pollinators.
several tall spikes of pink checkermallow flowers stand among a scattering of golden-orange flowers of California poppy in this garden. In the foreground, a bumble bee with a yellow head forages on a checkermallow
Pollinator Protection Starts at Home—and can Spread Faster than Weeds!
Something as simple as observing the bees and other pollinators in your garden is a wonderful way to celebrate Pollinator Week. Late June is a time when, across the county, bees and butterflies are emerging and making themselves known. It is also a great time to pledge to do more for all these amazing creatures.
A small group of young men and women work with shovels and other tools to care for a hedgerow
Xerces Society and the NRCS: 17 Years of Conservation Partnership
A chance meeting 17 years ago between a Xerces staffer and an NRCS biologist has blossomed into a nationwide partnership and resulted in the creation of more than 1,000,000 acres of habitat on the ground across the U.S.
A pollinator garden full of yellow-and-red and pink flowers. In the center is a sign that says "Pollinator Garden" and has colorful illustrations of flowers, butterflies, and bees.
Building Resilient Communities: Reflecting on a Year of Challenge and Opportunity for Bee City USA & Bee Campus USA
The accomplishments of Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA communities during the last year are a textbook example of resilience. Rather than canceling projects and activities, the committees adapted to the new conditions, finding ways to continue creating spaces for our ecological communities to do the same.
A brown cardboard box has been opened to show the contents, bundles of newly printed books. The books are a gray-green color, with a photograph that shows two yellow and orange bumble bees on a pink flower.
Reflections on Two Decades of Pollinator Conservation
The Xerces Society was one of the first organizations to focus on protecting pollinators. Over the last two decades, it has been at the forefront of the pollinator conservation movement and is recognized as a trusted source of science-based advice and information.
Four people stand behind a table laden with trays of small plants. They are holding plants and "pollinator habitat" signs ready for a day of hard work.
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – June 2021
In this month's update from our pollinator conservation team, Kelly Gill reports on the successful distribution of habitat kits across a nine-state region of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and Sarah Foltz Jordan describes a multi-farm project to expand pollinator habitat in Wisconsin.
This mix of wildflower seeds are many different shapes and shades of brown and gray, and some have tuts of pale hair
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – April 2021
In this edition, Hannah Mullally describes a project to create a pollinator habitat demonstration site in the unique conditions of northern Maine, Karin Jokela shares her experience and suggestions for designing conservation seed mixes in Minnesota, and Anna Murray gives a glimpse into habitat planning and monitoring in California.
A cluster of pink flowers, each with five petals, offers a place for a small brown, delicately marked butterfly to drink nectar
New in Santa Fe: Pollinator Trail and Habitat Kit Program
Santa Fe, New Mexico, is the home of our pilot Pollinator Trail program, which aims to address habitat loss in urban areas. The project will create connected, climate-resilient pollinator habitat in an urban landscape through the distribution of habitat kits and development of partnerships with local organizations to conduct pollinator conservation outreach.
A small, dark-colored bee gathers nectar from the middle of a yellow flower
To Protect Pollinators, Talk to Your Nursery
Creating a welcoming home for local pollinators in your backyard or city park is reason enough to choose plants free from harmful pesticide residues. But how do you figure out if the plant you want is free of pesticides that can harm pollinators?
Well wrapped against the winter weather, two people walk across a snow-covered field of stubble scattering wildflower seed
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – February 2021
Our pollinator team members provide regular digests on their work. In this bumper edition, three of our staff provide updates. Stephanie Frischie discusses planting seeds, Nancy Lee Adamson highlights monarch conservation in the Southeast, and Emily May introduces a newly released video.
Children cluster around a tabletop display as the author talks with families about pollinators and conservation.
Arrancando la Primera Iniciativa de Conservación de Polinizadores para el Centro de México
Héctor Ávila Villegas is working to promote pollinator conservation in Central Mexico. He has planned and implemented habitat projects and is engaged in public outreach. This blog is part two of his story.
Plant trays containing thousands of seedlings are laid out on the ground.
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – December 2020
This edition focuses on work done across the country to support monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Jessa Kay Cruz describes how Xerces supports groups in California undertaking habitat creation projects, and Jennifer Hopwood presents a series of fact sheets about milkweeds, part of a nationwide project to provide information to roadside managers.
The author, Héctor Ávila Villegas, stands beside a pollinator habitat strip full of pink, white, and yellow flowers
Conservación de Polinizadores en Aguascalientes, México
Over the last couple of years, Xerces Society staff have had the pleasure of supporting Héctor Ávila Villegas with his efforts to promote naturalized spaces that function as pollinator habitat and outreach in the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico.
A pale brown bee with very long antennae forages on a sunflower
Pollinators Take Priority as Xerces Expands Work in New Mexico
New Mexico boasts an impressive diversity of pollinators, driven by the variety of landscapes and plant communities within the state. Fortunately for pollinators, the Xerces Society expanded their pollinator conservation efforts this year by adding a new regional position, the Southwest Pollinator Conservation Specialist, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
A landscape with a mass of yellow-flowered goldenrod in the foreground with dark green conifer forest behind
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest - November 2020
In this edition of our monthly pollinator team digest, Kelly Gill offers an update on the New England Pollinator Partnership, and Jennifer Hopwood shares her experience of creating a backyard pond—not our usual fare for pollinator updates, but a great addition to any wildlife garden. 
Two women in grey and red shirts stand in front of a colorful mural that shows flowers and insects at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – October 8, 2020
In this pollinator team digest, Sarah Nizzi offers an account of how habitat work has continued on an urban farm in Iowa despite the pandemic, and Nancy Lee Adamson reports on events held last year in Georgia that supported both gardeners and farmers.
Three people, with clipboards in hand, inspect a hedgerow of young shrubs growing beside a dusty farm track.
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – September 3, 2020
In this edition of our regular updates from the Pollinator Conservation Program, Jessa Kay Cruz gives a view into work being done with vineyards in California, and Nancy Lee Adamson shares her experience of how community science creates connections between people and nature.
Although partially obscured by the wings, the distinctive rusty-colored patch is just visible on the yellow band on the back of this rusty patched bumble bee
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Fails to Designate Critical Habitat for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service decided to not designate critical habitat for the rusty patched bumble bee, despite its previous finding that habitat loss threatens the bee. Failing to designate critical habitat may hinder recovery of the rusty patched bumble bee, which has already been lost from more than three quarters of its historic range.
The hole in the end of this broken flower stem is filled with neatly cut pieces of leaf, a sure sign that a leafcutter bee has made a nest.
Moving Beyond Flowers: Natural Nesting Habitat for Bees and other Insects
When landscaping for pollinators, there’s a (very understandable) tendency to focus on flowers to provide pollen and nectar for bees and other insects. However, flowers, alone, aren’t enough. We also need to provide nesting and overwintering habitat. 
An aerial view looking down on an almond orchard. At the bottom of the photo, the greenery of the hedgerow planted as habitat for bees contrasts with the straight rows of almond trees above.
Bee Better Certified: Protecting Bees and Providing a Level Playing Field for Farmers and the Companies that Support Them
Four years ago, we began to hear the same question from a number of food companies that wanted to do more for pollinators: Could Xerces develop a certification program to verify pollinator conservation practices on farms and provide a transparent way for consumers to recognize and differentiate food products produced in ways that are better for bees? The answer was Bee Better Certified.
An orange-and-black striped checkered beetle foraging on yellow flowers
Notes from the Other Orders: Beetles as Pollinators
When we think about pollinators, the first species to pop into mind are usually bees, butterflies, and maybe, hummingbirds. But pollinators are a much broader group of animals that encompasses species from several groups of insects, including beetles such as like soldier beetles, scarabs, long-horned beetles, sap beetles, and checkered beetles.
The white colored yucca moth is dwarfed by the person's thumbnail on which it perches
The Night Shift: Moths as Nocturnal Pollinators
The work of pollination is never over—even after dark! While some flowers close when the sun goes down (the technical term for this is floral nyctinasty), most flowers are still accessible at night. When our day-active (diurnal) pollinators turn in for the evening, nocturnal pollinators such as moths, bats, beetles, and even some species of bees take on the night shift to feast on nectar.
A long line of people of diverse ages, genders, and races are all sporting bright yellow and black-striped bee outfits in an outdoor festival setting.
Evolution in Attitudes Leads to Greater Interest in Pollinator Conservation
Twenty years ago, being referred to as the “bee guy” wasn’t always positive. In contrast, today many people are keen to learn about what they can do to protect pollinators. We are proud to be part of the reason that the public has become more aware of, and engaged in, pollinator conservation.
Dead bees lay scattered on asphalt. A pencil is laid alongside them to help with estimates.
To Protect Pollinators We Must Address All Risk Factors
Recent media coverage of a study on Tilia trees could lead to a dangerous misinterpretation of existing science—incorrectly exonerating neonicotinoid insecticides, which are known to harm pollinators.
A glowing green mason jar contains a few fireflies in flight.
Nature Close to Home: Reimagining Gardens to Support Invertebrates
Scott Hoffman Black, executive director of the Xerces Society, encourages gardeners to increase the diversity of native plants, ensure that there are places for insects to nest, and avoid using pesticides.
A dark-colored butterfly perches on a flower in a prairie.
Let’s Make Every Week Pollinator Week!
Without a doubt, every week is Pollinator Week here at the Xerces Society. Here are a variety of ways to support our efforts to conserve these vital invertebrates throughout the year—no matter where you live!
A fuzzy bee with big, shiny eyes peers out of a hole in bare dirt.
Remember the Ground Nesting Bees when You Make Your Patch of Land Pollinator-Friendly
Providing nesting sites and reducing or eliminating pesticide use is key to supporting these important pollinators.
A leafcutter bee drinks nectar from rayless blanketflower
Bring Back the Pollinators During National Pollinator Week
With Pollinator Week upon us, now is the time to reaffirm our commitment to protecting these vital invertebrates. Here are some tangible ways to help.
A garden in the front of a home showcases a variety of pollinator plants, including orange California poppies.
Pesticide-Free Gardening Tips for Earth Week and Beyond
Please consider spending Earth Week in the garden, enjoying the diversity of insects, and taking a few of the actions outlined below to simultaneously minimize pest problems and avoid the use of pesticides.
A globe, in the darkness of space, with invertebrates on all the continents and in the oceans.
Pledge to Bring Back the Pollinators—on Earth Day and Every Day
During Earth Week 2019, we are asking you to consider taking simple, yet impactful, steps to make the world better for bees, butterflies, and other essential invertebrates.
A red dragonfly perches atop a green leaf in a garden. A bit of blurred siding is visible in the background, indicating it is close to a house.
How Our Gardening Choices Affect the Health of Our Waterways
Pesticide Program Director Aimee Code shares thoughts on her garden, information about pesticide impacts to our watershed, and news about upcoming Xerces projects in this article from Wings Magazine.
pollinator garden with a pollinator habitat sign
Are you up for the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge?
Can the nation establish a network of one million pollinator gardens within two years? Yes we can!
Numerous bamboo tubes stand upright. Some have hollow ends, and some have mud filling the opening. A small bee perches atop one of them.
5 Ways to Increase Nesting Habitat for Native Bees
Recent research suggests that pollinators do better in urban environments, yet these mowed, mulched, and managed landscapes frequently lack a sufficient amount of nesting habitat needed to support large numbers of bees. As wild bees move off ag lands and head for the cities and suburbs, they may struggle to find their “dream home” amongst ours.

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