Trees and Shrubs for Beneficial Insects in Central New Mexico

Guide H-177

Miranda L. Kersten, Alissa J. Freeman, Amanda R. Skidmore, and Marisa Y. Thompson

College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University

Authors: Respectively, Program Manager, Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas; Former Senior Program Specialist, Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas; Former Extension Integrated Pest Management Specialist, Department of Extension Plant Sciences; Extension Urban Horticulture Specialist, Department of Extension Plant Sciences. (Print Friendly PDF)

Developing a habitat to provide resources for beneficial insects and other arthropods (pollinators and natural enemies) is an excellent way for homeowners and landscape managers to support a healthy urban ecosystem. Trees and shrubs are an important resource for beneficial arthropods in urban areas; they can supply pollen, nectar, and shelter year-round. Understanding the seasonal life cycle of trees can aid with providing resources throughout the year. Trees and shrubs that flower in the early spring provide invaluable food sources for early emerging pollinators, while late-blooming plants provide valuable resources for overwintering arthropods. Trees and shrubs—both dead and alive—also provide nesting and overwintering habitat for many pollinators and natural enemies.

Photograph of a bee on a flower.

(Cover photo of a bee collecting pollen by Ashley B. Bennett.)

Flower size, shape, and aroma influence pollinator attractiveness (Figures 1–4). Trees and shrubs with showy, colorful, and fragrant flowers are typically pollinated by insects and other animals, while plants with inconspicuous flowers are often wind-pollinated. Flowers provide both nectar and pollen—important food resources for pollinators. Wind-pollinated trees can provide supplemental pollen resources for bees, especially in the spring. Other bees, particularly several species of leafcutter bees (family Megachilidae), collect plant resin and pine sap from wind-pollinated trees and other plants to help create their nests. Wind-pollinated trees also provide many ecological functions, such as serving as larval host plants for butterflies and moths, providing nesting sites, and providing food sources for birds and mammals.

Fig. 01: Photograph of a purple and white trumpet-shaped flower.

Figure 1. Butterflies, bumble bees, and hummingbirds are frequent visitors to trumpet-shaped flowers. (Photo by Miranda L. Kersten, NMSU.)

Fig. 02: Photograph of several bowl-shaped, four-petaled white flowers.

Figure 2. Many pollinators and predatory insects are associated with bowl-shaped flowers. (Photo by Miranda L. Kersten, NMSU.)

Fig. 03: Photograph of a butterfly on a composite flower.

Figure 3. Plants in the Asteraceae family are characterized by composite or disk-shaped flowers. These flowers are popular with bees, butterflies, and predatory insects. (Photo by Miranda L. Kersten, NMSU.)

Fig. 04: Photograph of a bee and several purple funnel-shaped flowers.

Figure 4. Funnel-shaped flowers support many insects and birds. (Photo by Miranda L. Kersten, NMSU.)

In addition to providing food and habitat resources, consider how pest management practices may affect beneficial arthropods. For example, if you choose to use a pesticide to manage pests in your landscape, it is important to consider the timing of any application. Avoid spraying blooming trees and shrubs, if possible, to reduce exposure to foraging insects. Scout plants for blooming flowers and beneficial insects before spraying, and look for products that have less of a toxic effect on non-target insects.

Typically, pollinators prefer to forage on nectar and pollen from a single plant species, making trees with an abundance of flowers especially attractive to pollinators. When selecting a tree for your landscape, consider if and how it will support beneficial insects. Native tree and shrub species are important to incorporate into your landscape. Native beneficial arthropods are often specialists of native plants found in their geographic area; therefore, planting native species can help support their populations. Native plant species are often hardier and better adapted to the local climate. Table 1 provides a list of native and ornamental trees and shrubs and examples of the pollinators and natural enemies that they can benefit. By providing nesting habitat and floral resources in the landscape throughout the seasons, you can encourage beneficial insect populations in your home or greenspace and help to support their populations.

Table 1. Examples of Trees and Shrubs for Beneficial Insects
Name Family Status Plant Height Flower Color Flower Shape Flowering Season Benefits

Apache plume (Fallugia paradoxa)

Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Native

2–6 ft (0.6–2 m)

White

Disk

Summer

Small bees, green bees, large bees, large wasps

Apples, including crabapples
(Malus spp.)

Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Ornamental

15–25 ft (4.5–7.6 m)

White to red

Bowl

Late spring

Honey bees, small bees, large bees, green bees, bumble bees

Apricots, cherries, peaches, plums (Prunus spp.)

Rosaceae (Rose Family)

Native/Fruit

10–20 ft (3–6 m)

White, pink

Bowl

Spring

Bumble bees, small bees, large bees, honey bees, syrphid flies, wasps, butterflies

Baccharis (Baccharis spp.)

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Native

Up to 10 ft (3 m)

White, yellow

Disk

Fall

Honey bees, small bees, large bees, large wasps, syrphid flies, butterflies

Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa)

Bignoniaceae (Catalpa Family)

Native

Up to 40 ft (12 m)

White

Funnel

Spring

Bumble bees, large bees, honey bees

Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus)

Verbenaceae (Verbena Family)

Ornamental

8–10 ft (2.4–3 m)

White, pink, lilac

Funnel

Summer to early fall

Large bees, bumble bees, honey bees, butterflies

Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)

Lythraceae (Loosestrife Family)

Ornamental

8–30 ft (2.4–9 m)

White, pink, red, purple

Cruciate (four-petaled, cross-like)

Summer

Honey bees, green bees, large wasps

Desert willow (Chilopsis linearis)

Bignoniaceae (Catalpa Family)

Native

12–40 ft (3.6–12 m)

White, pink, purple

Trumpet

Summer to fall

Large bees, small bees, bumble bees, small wasps, large wasps, hummingbirds

Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)

Fabaceae
(Legume Family)

Native

Up to 13 ft (4 m)

Magenta, purple-pink

Papilionaceous (resembling a butterfly; characteristic of the legume family)

Spring

Bumble bees, small bees, large bees, butterflies, syrphid flies, wasps

False indigo (Amorphafruticosa)

Fabaceae
(Legume Family)

Native

Up to 6 ft (2 m)

Purple

Tubular

Late spring to early summer

Small bees, butterflies

Golden currant (Ribes aureum)

Grossulariaceae (Gooseberry Family)

Native

Up to 6 ft (2 m)

Yellow

Tubular

Spring

Bumble bees, large bees, small bees, honey bees, butterflies, hummingbirds

Goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata)

Sapindaceae (Soapberry Family)

Ornamental

Up to 30 ft (9 m)

Yellow

Rotate (wheel-like, with separate, unfused petals)

Late spring to summer

Bumble bees, honey bees, small bees, large bees

Honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)

Fabaceae (Legume Family)

Native

Up to 10 ft (3 m)

Yellow

Bowl

Spring to fall

Small bees, honey bees,
butterflies

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba)

Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn Family)

Fruit

15–30 ft (4.5–9 m)

White to light green

Rotate

Summer

Syrphid flies, large wasps

Littleleaf sumac (Rhus microphylla)

Anacardiaceae (Sumac Family)

Native

6–12 ft (2–3.6 m)

White

Rotate

Spring

Small bees

Mexican elder (Sambucus mexicana)

Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle Family)

Native

Up to 26 ft (8 m)

White

Rotate

Spring to fall

Small bees, butterflies

New Mexican locust (Robinia neomexicana)

Fabaceae (Legume
Family)

Native

Up to 26 ft (8 m)

Pink, purple

Papilionaceous

Summer

Bumble bees, hummingbirds, butterflies

New Mexico olive (Forestiera neomexicana)

Oleaceae (Olive Family)

Native

3–10 ft (1–3 m)

Green

Bowl

Spring

Honey bees, native bees, lady beetles

Texas mountain laurel (Sophora secundiflora)

Fabaceae (Legume Family)

Native

10–20 ft (3–6 m)

Blue, purple

Papilionaceous

Spring

Honey bees, small bees, butterflies

Texas red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora)

Asparagaceae (Asparagus Family)

Native

Up to 5 ft (1.5 m)

Red

Bell

Summer

Hummingbirds, butterflies, honey bees

Yellow rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus)

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Native

Up to 5 ft (1.5 m)

Yellow

Disk

Late
summer to fall

Bumble bees, small bees, large bees, lady bugs, green bees

For more information on plants and beneficial insects, check out these resources:

Donkersley, P. 2019. Trees for bees. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 270–271, 79–83. Available online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2018.10.024

Dreesen, D.D., and T.R. Grasswitz. 2015. Pollinator plant recommendations for New Mexico [NRCS Plant Materials Center Technical Note No. 71]. Available online at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/nmpmctn12632.pdf

Holm, H. 2017. Bees: An identification and native plant forage guide. Minnetonka, MN: Pollination Press, LLC.

Mach, B.M., and D.A. Potter. 2018, December 26. Quantifying bee assemblages and attractiveness of flowering woody landscape plants for urban pollinator conservation. PLOS ONE. Available online at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208428

Pollinator Partnership. n.d. Selecting plants for pollinators: A regional guide for farmers, land managers, and gardeners in the intermountain semidesert province. Available online at https://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/IntermtSemidesrt342.rx2.pdf

St. Hilaire, R. 2018. Landscape plants for the lower Rio Grande Basin. Austin: Sentia Publishing.

This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program [grant no. 2017-70006-27189] project accession no. 1013838 from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

For Further Reading

H-169: Using Insectary Plants to Attract and Sustain Beneficial Insects for Biological Pest Control
https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_h/H169/

H-172: Backyard Beneficial Insects in New Mexico
https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_h/H172/

H-174: Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Strategies for Common Insect Pests of Trees in New Mexico
https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_h/H174/

Photo of Miranda Kersten.

Miranda Kersten is a Senior Program Specialist with the urban integrated pest management (IPM) program at NMSU’s Agricultural Science Center in Los Lunas. Her work focuses on pollinator and beneficial insect conservation, monitoring beneficial insects across urban landscapes, and managing IPM research projects.

To find more resources for your business, home, or family, visit the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences on the World Wide Web at pubs.nmsu.edu.

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August 2021, Las Cruces, NM