Observations from the Field: Insect-Plant Relationships

Birdwatching is a beloved hobby and a favorite pastime for nature enthusiasts. But have you ever slowed down to tune in to the smaller creatures calling your garden home? Take a closer look at any native planting and you’ll quickly discover a whole world of activity unfolding beneath the birdsong. The more closely you observe the smaller creatures, the wilder it gets. Pollination, predation, herbivory, courtship, and competition are all playing out on these plants every day.

Once you tune into this tiny world abuzz with life, your perspective starts to broaden. Native plants aren’t simply just a pretty addition to a landscape, they’re contributing to a living habitat and supporting intricate relationships between insects and plants, and plenty of other creatures. No matter how big or small, every native planting becomes a wildlife preserve. 

Over the years of observing plants growing around the nursery, in our own gardens, and throughout the community, we’ve noticed that certain insects seem to have definite favorites. These insect-plant relationships are fascinating to watch and offer a glimpse into the miniature ecosystems buzzing all around us.

Native plants are often celebrated for their flowers, foliage, drought tolerance, etc. All of these are wonderful reasons to grow natives, but there’s another benefit worth celebrating: the absolute joy of watching a living ecosystem take shape in your own landscape. 

Below are a few glimpses into the insect-plant relationships we’ve encountered over the years, shared by the New Leaf Natives crew (your fellow plant nerds, keen observers, and nature enthusiasts). 

• Carpenter Bees resting on large Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) blooms after sipping the nectar

• Ants feasting on nectar from the ‘extrafloral nectaries’ on Passionflower vines (Passiflora incarnata) 

• Monarch butterflies devouring the nectar from Blazing Stars (Liatris spp.)

• Painted Lady & American Lady caterpillars making a meal of Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) and Pussytoes (Antennaria spp.)

• Cecropia moths spinning cocoons on Cherry family trees (Prunus spp.)

• Swallowtail caterpillars happily munching away on Golden Alexanders (Zizia spp.)

• Solitary Wasps bustling around Late Figwort (Scrophularia marilandica)

• Monarch caterpillars making a meal of the young leaves of Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

• Giant Yellow Swallowtail butterflies fluttering around Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata)

• Borer Moth boring holes into the stem of Great Angelica (Angelica atropurpurea)

• Bumblebees buzzing around Beebalm (Monarda fistulosa) blooms

• Long-horned Bees savoring nectar of Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.)

• Bees reaching under the flower hood to pollinate Blue Sage (Salvia azurea) and Hoary Skullcap (Scutellaria incana)

• Black Wasps stopping by Horsemint (Monarda punctata)

• Soldier Beetles visiting Goldenrods (Solidago & Oligoneuron spp.) in droves

• Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars munching on leaves of Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) 

• Leaf-cutter Bees leaving their notorious bites on leaves of Wild Senna (Senna hebecarpa)
  

We encourage you to pay closer attention to the tinier creatures calling your gardens home. Take a closer look. You never know what tiny worlds might be unfolding in your garden today.

-Written by England Avis

Inspiration for this blog is credited to a longtime customer for sharing her consistent enthusiasm and niche observations from her own thriving wildlife preserve in her front yard. Thanks for being part of our community, Hannah!