Winter Weeds a Nectar Source for Pollinators

Early spring blooms of henbit and purple deadnettle are an important nectar source for several pollinators. Consider managing these weeds with the pollinators in mind.

Henbit (Lamium aplexicaule) and purple deadnettle (Lamium pupureum) are winter annuals. They sprout a cluster of leaves in fall that survive the winter. In early spring the plants continue to grow, flower, drop seeds and die. 

Contain these weeds by keeping nearby plants and the lawn healthy.  Remove small populations by hand after the flowers fade, but before they set seeds.

It may make it easier to tolerate these unwanted plants knowing honey bees and bumble bees feed upon the henbit nectar. The purple deadnettle feeds these as well as digger bees, a group of large ground nesting bees. 

Both attract the giant bee fly, a bee mimic. The adult is a pollinator while the larvae is a parasite feeding on various insects including cutworms.

A bit more information:  Both the henbit and purple deadnettle are members of the mint family. Roll their stems between your fingers to find the distinctive square stems of mint family members.

Tags

sustainable-gardening garden-landscape-design problems-pests-weeds bees weeds

Related

Audio

Controlling Invasive Queen Anne’s Lace

Audio

Southern Blight (Crown Rot)

Audio

Aggressive, Noxious and Invasive Weeds

Audio

Fencing to Protect Gardens from Woodchucks

Audio

Prune out Raspberry Pest Problems

Audio

Early Blight on Tomatoes

Audio

Brown Spots (Anthracnose) on Vine Crops

Audio

Managing Difficult Grass Growing Areas

Audio

Edible and Nutritious Lambsquarter, Chenopodium album

Audio

Grow Your Own Dye Plants

• ← Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3 (current)
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• …
• 78
• Next →