The plants listed here were selected to support the target list of native, at-risk pollinators. Plants provide nectar or pollen or are used as host plants - plants where pollinators lay their eggs and where larvae feed. Many of these native plants offer some combination of nectar, pollen, and host plant services, and many are used by multiple target pollinators. 

To determine which plants are “native” for the purposes of this guide, the authors considered data from the current New York Flora Atlas, as well as historical accounts that document the flora of our region as close as possible to the first arrival of Europeans, and early in the 20th century before deer overpopulation and its impacts on native plants reached current levels. This means that plants recommended in this guide are nearly all historically native to the Hudson Valley bioregion, plus a few Northeastern natives from just outside our region that have great relationships with our native pollinators and work well in gardens. 

The science behind the plant-pollinator actions described here comes from research conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Gegear, at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. More on plant-pollinator interactions can be found on the Gegear Lab website. Molly Jacobson, of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and Landscape Interactions also contributed to plant selection. PCA thanks Anne Wibiralske for her help and expertise in creating the complete plant list spreadsheet

There are many thousands of additional native plants that are worthy of conservation, beneficial to wildlife, and beautiful in gardens and landscapes. We encourage you to get carried away beyond the recommended plants in this guide and make your property a sanctuary for Hudson Valley native plants and animals!