I absolutely love creating gardens and a landscape for the wildlife, in particular all of the pollinators and the birds. I have never noticed a competition between the bees and butterflies. More often, I see the butterflies chasing each other away (there seems to be one dominant Monarch in the Butterfly garden). Most of the bees seem to be collecting pollen, but I've noticed that some bees DO seem to be feeding on the nectar in some of the flowers. Bumblebees look like they are feeding on the nectar in the Bee Balm. On the Cleome, the yellow jackets seem to be drinking out of the flowers, not collecting pollen from those spidery spikes. Also I watched this enormous Bumblebee-looking bee appear to be sucking nectar out of the unopened Phlox paniculata buds. Aren't bees/wasps/yellow jackets often a problem with getting into Hummingbird feeders?

I can't help you with the bees, but I can help you post a pic!!! Go to photobucket.com and register. You have to register, but it is free. Then you upload your photos. Copy the HTML code (3rd one down) and paste it in your 'message.' It'll look like code, until you click 'preview message.' Good luck with the bees and look forward to your pics :) Christy

Thanks, Hilda. That 2nd Annual Blithewold Tomato Taste Test Sunday, August 24, 2014 is tempting. Claire

Sunflowers will attract bees during the period they are in bloom, but they tend to bloom over a short period. They will also attract birds as the seeds begin to ripen, which can be a mixed blessing. As already stated, sunflowers have a large aggressive root system, so they will compete with other plants nearby. They also can cast a lot of shade, so they should be planted on the North side of shorter vegetation. Catnip & milkweed have been suggested to attract pollinators, and they will... but both are very invasive perennials, and if grown, they should be given a dedicated space outside the vegetable garden. Cosmos is a very good bee plant; it blooms quickly & continuously, has a less competitive root system, and the lacy foliage allows some light to penetrate. Basil is good too, and has a long blooming period if the old flowers are removed... but it will bloom late. There is a flowering mallow that is one of my favorite bee plants, Malva sylvestris "Zebrina". It is a self-seeding annual that blooms early, and continues until frost. It is a very heavy pollen producer; I've seen several species of bees working the flowers at one time. I've allowed it to naturalize in my garden, so it is a welcome "weed" which replaces the wild mallow that was already growing there. Great advice by Aniajs, especially regarding diversity of flowering plants, and overlapping bloom periods. Cucumbers & squash will attract bees on their own, since they are good pollen sources & bloom over a long period... but you might want to consider plants which bloom earlier, to draw them in. I realize it won't help you much this year, but it is a worthwhile exercise to drive around your neighborhood each week, and note what is in bloom... both wild & cultivated. I don't know the size of your lot, but don't overlook trees... box elder & birch are some of the first places where I see bees active in Spring.