5 Easy Ways to Support Pollinators in the Fall

Help out vital pollinators in your garden by providing the plants, water, and other essentials they need to overwinter.

Gardeners are realizing the increasing importance of supporting pollinators as shrinking habitats and other environmental pressures reduce their populations. In fact, in a recent Monrovia poll of 1400 gardeners nationwide, over a quarter, 26%, said they were gardening primarily for pollinators —that’s up six percent from last year’s poll.

While most efforts tend to be focused on spring and summer gardening, birds, bees, and other wildlife still need support in the garden’s quieter seasons. Here are 5 ways you can help pollinators in your garden in fall as they migrate or prepare to overwinter.

Meet Our Expert

• Mary Phillips is the head of the National Wildlife Federation's Garden for Wildlife and Certified Wildlife Habitat.
• Sylvia Schmeichel is a lead horticulturist with Smithsonian Gardens in Washington, D.C.
• Laura Rost is the National Coordinator for Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

1. Get Planting

By planting flowers, shrubs, and trees that supply nectar, seeds, and berries, you’re offering food during a season when fewer plants bloom. It’s also a great time to plant generally , as typically milder temperatures and regular rainfall help plants establish readily and get a jump start on spring growing.

“Fall is an important time to provide forage and nectar plants with fall blooms, along with berrying shrubs and trees for wildlife,” says Mary Phillips, head of the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife and Certified Wildlife Habitat programs. “Hundreds of native bees, birds, and the monarch butterfly rely on these food and energy sources,” she adds.

"Fall is an important time to provide forage and nectar plants with fall blooms, along with berrying shrubs and trees for wildlife."

Mary Phillips, NWF Garden for Wildlife Program

Sylvia Schmeichel, lead horticulturist with Smithsonian Gardens agrees. “It's vital to include a variety of food and nectar sources for a wide range of pollinators and other wildlife because many may be migrating and need fuel for their journey, are laying eggs with stored food, or hibernating.”

Fall is also "an excellent time to plant shrubs and flowering perennials ,” Phillips says. “Planting in the fall reduces the chance of transplant shock by allowing roots to get established and results in plants that are strong and vigorous when they come out of dormancy in spring."

Related: 13 Best Bulbs to Plant in Fall to Attract Pollinators in Spring

You can also start seeds of many pollinator plants in the fall because "the seeds of many native plant species need to go through a cold season to germinate, such as milkweed ," says Phillips. "Sow seeds directly into your garden beds before the soil freezes to increase germination success next spring.”

2. Include a Diverse Mix of Plants

Your strongest strategy, experts agree, is to choose a mix of pollinator plants combining different colors, shapes, and bloom times that are native to your area. Keystone species are foundational to the local ecosystem, supporting scores of species. Plants in the aster (Asteraceae) and mint (Lamiaciae) are often cited as being very attractive to pollinators.

Some summer annuals, like sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) and zinnias welcome a number of generalist pollinators, from bees to birds and butterflies. A later sowing of these plants will encourage flowers into the fall.

“Focus on adding a variety of native plants that have a variety of flower shapes, sizes, and colors. Diverse native plantings can support a vibrant ecosystem,” says Laura Rost, National Coordinator for Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. She also recommends making space for a tree or two. “One native tree can provide a meadow’s worth of flowers !” she says.

Finding plants that evolved to support your local pollinators is key, however. “Migration and hibernation patterns are so different,” points out Schmeichel.

You can find plants for your region at the National Wildlife Federation’s Native Plant Finder or the Xerces Society has free regional lists of favorite plants for pollinators and other beneficial insects, which tells you when each plant blooms and which are used for nesting.

Phillips, based in Oregon, calls out asters and goldenrod (Solidago spp.) for providing pollen and nectar for “hundreds of native bee species” as well as ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) for favorite fall perennials.

Schmeichel, who has gardened in the mid-Atlantic, southeast, and Chicagoland regions, also recommends aster, goldenrod, and ironweed, and adds Helianthus , sages ( Salvia spp.), and Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium spp.).

Many summer-blooming annuals extend their shows well into fall. Some that can support pollinators include begonias , impatiens , sunflowers, and zinnias.

Grasses, like colorful little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) are a great fall addition says Phillips, “in that they provide cover and places for insects to raise their young.

Among shrubs, Phillips likes purple-flowered bluebeard ( Caryopteris spp.) , whose nectar can feed adult monarchs and other butterflies.

Phillips suggests including fruiting shrubs to feed birds, from choke cherry (Prunus virginiana) and staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) to native viburnums . Yet even nonfruiting shrubs with dense branches provide cover and safety from predators over the winter.

Her other favorites? “In the east, the purple, beaded berries of the American beautyberry , and out west, the white snowberry, offer a contrast to the browns and evergreens found in winter. Adding a pop of holiday color, the versatile winterberry holly , native to the eastern half of the United States, has bright red sprays of berries to ornament your yard.”

3. Add a Water Source

In addition to nectar and other food sources, pollinators need fresh water to help fuel them for migration or to get through the winter.

“Beyond planting a diversity of flowering species attractive to a wide variety of pollinators, gardeners can offer support by keeping fresh water sources available throughout the year,” says Schmeichel.

Phillips suggests a maintained birdbath, circulating fountain, or butterfly puddling dish.

Related: The 12 Best Bird Baths of 2024 for a Stylish, Bird-Friendly Garden

4. Leave the Leaves

The next tip gives gardeners permission to be lazy for a change and join the "Leave the Leaves" movement. "A leaf layer several inches deep is a natural occurrence in any area where trees naturally grow,” says Phillips. “Many wildlife species live in or rely on the leaf layer to find food. For example, butterflies, like the red-banded hairstreak butterflies lay their eggs on fallen oak leaves, which become the first food for their caterpillars. The layer also provides other habitat, for salamanders, chipmunks, box turtles, toads, shrews, earthworms, and many insects species .”

“Leave the leaves either in place or raked up and left in a back corner for overwintering nesting sites,” Schmeichel says. “Leaving stalks, stems, and seedheads provides high-fat seed sources for birds, nesting sites inside stems, and other nesting materials wildlife can use to build their winter homes.

Rost recommends helping neighbors understand why your yard is looking a bit wilder by making or ordering a sign explaining you are “Leaving the Leaves.”

5. Don't Over-Mulch

Phillips also recommends taking care not to over-mulch . “Repeated layers of hardwood mulch in both spring and fall seasons has the potential to impact the natural ecosystem between naturally falling leaves and organic debris and soil health.” Stick to no more than 2 inches of bark chip mulch, or shred up fallen leaves and let them serve as your mulch.

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