What is Nectar?
Nectar is a sweet liquid produced by plants. It is especially produced by flowers on flowering plants. Nectar is very sweet, and this is why butterflies, hummingbirds, bats, and other animals slurp it up. It gives them a good source of energy and calories. Bees collect nectar to turn into honey. Nectar is more than just sweet, though. It is also rich in vitamins, salts, oils, and other nutrients. This sweet, nutritious liquid is produced by glands in a plant called the nectaries. Depending on the plant species, the nectaries may be located on different parts of the flower, including the petals, pistils, and stamen.
Why Do Plants Produce Nectar, and What Does Nectar Do?
It’s because this sweet liquid is so attractive to some insects, birds, and mammals that plants produce nectar at all. It may provide these animals with a food source, but what nectar rich plants are up to is tempting them to aid in pollination. For plants to reproduce, they need to get pollen from one flower to another, but plants don’t move. The nectar attracts a pollinator, like a butterfly. While feeding, pollen sticks to the butterfly. At the next flower some of this pollen is transferred. The pollinator is just out for a meal but is unwittingly helping the plant procreate.
Plants to Attract Pollinators
Growing plants for nectar is rewarding because you provide natural sources of food for pollinators like butterflies and bees. Some plants are better than others for nectar production: Bees To attract bees, try:
Citrus trees American holly Saw palmetto Sea grape Southern magnolia Sweetbay magnolia
Butterflies Butterflies love the following nectar rich plants:
Black-eyed Susan Buttonbush Salvia Purple coneflower Butterfly milkweed Hibiscus Firebush
Hummingbirds For hummingbirds, try planting:
Butterfly milkweed Coral honeysuckle Morning glory Trumpet vine Wild azalea Red basil
By growing plants for nectar, you can enjoy seeing more butterflies and hummingbirds in your garden, but you also support these vital pollinators.
