June is buzzing with life—literally. In the heart of the month, pollinators are hard at work, and your garden is a living runway of wings, antennae, and the hum of activity. Here’s who to look for this time of year in Florida and how you can roll out the green carpet for them.
Native Pollinators You Might Spot Right Now:
Sweat Bees (Halictidae): Tiny, metallic green or black bees that love native wildflowers like blanket flower and coreopsis.
Carpenter Bees: Large, burly bees that hover like helicopters. They love open-faced flowers like passionflower and native milkweeds.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail: Bright yellow and black butterflies that feed on zinnias, lantana, and citrus blossoms.
Zebra Longwing (Florida’s State Butterfly): Prefers passionflower vines.
Blue Mud Dauber Wasps: Sleek, iridescent wasps that are excellent predators of spiders. They visit flowers for nectar, not you.
Pollinator-Friendly Plant Pairings:
Milkweed + Monarchs
Blanket Flower + Native Bees
Lantana + Swallowtails
Passionflower + Zebra Longwings
Goldenrod + Wasps and Bees
Pest or Pollinator?
It can be tricky to tell! Here are quick clues:
Pollinators usually have a clear purpose (hovering, collecting nectar or pollen).
Pests often cluster, chew leaves, or leave slime trails.
Wasps can be allies—many are parasitic or predator species that keep pest populations in check.