John,

Turn right at the sunflowers...

... then left at the scruffy patch of tall grass...

... keep going until you hit that tuft of goldenrod...

For a bee, a springtime garden can be a complex maze of shelter, food and unexpected challenges. Take a tour through a bee-friendly garden and learn how you can create a local haven for our hardest-working pollinators right in your backyard.

This lush patch of native plants is the perfect place for a bee to grab a snack. Because local wildlife has evolved alongside local plants, native species are particularly well-suited to give buzzing critters the nutrients and shelter they need to survive. If you'd like to help out your local pollinators, do some research into native plants in your state or region.1

Like us, bees love a pop of color. But try not to select flowers based on pretty hue alone. Bees need nectar in the spring, summer and even into the fall. Selecting native flowers that bloom at different times of the year can help your local pollinators find food during different seasons -- and keep your garden colorful throughout the year.2

One pollinator-friendly backyard is great. But a whole neighborhood is even better, providing safe havens for bees in developed areas and benefiting everyone's garden as local pollinators do their work. Seed and produce swaps can be a way to gain access to more native plants, growing community and encouraging more people to turn their yards into pollinator paradises.3

There's nothing worse for a bee to stumble across in a garden than pesticides. These toxic chemicals can impair bees' ability to function or kill them outright, and there's even evidence that they can accumulate over multiple generations.4

Though you might spray to target a particular pest, once the chemicals are in your garden, they can harm all kinds of species that may have a great benefit to your local flora. And avoiding toxic chemicals means the predators of common pest species can thrive -- nature's pest control!5

This time of year is the perfect season to appreciate all the work our tiniest pollinators do to keep our natural world green and blooming. Helping them navigate your backyard more easily is one small way to say thanks -- and to ensure we keep having beautiful, healthy summers for years to come.

Thank you for exploring our bee-friendly garden with us,

Ellen Montgomery

P.S. Every pollinator-friendly yard helps. But as bees continue to face alarming die-offs, we're working to take these small steps to a much bigger scale, advocating to restrict the worst uses of toxic pesticides and expand pollinator-friendly habitat. Will you donate to help save the bees?

1. "5 ways you can be a good garden neighbor," Environment America, April 25, 2025.
2. Mara Koenig, "How to build a pollinator garden," U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, last accessed May 5, 2025.
3. "5 ways you can be a good garden neighbor," Environment America, April 25, 2025.
4. Erik Stokstad, "Pesticides can harm bees twice--as larvae and adults," Science, November 22, 2021.
5. "5 ways you can be a good garden neighbor," Environment America, April 25, 2025.

Your donation will be used to support all of our campaigns to protect the environment, from saving the bees and protecting public lands, to standing up for clean water and fighting climate change. None of our work would be possible without supporters like you. Environment Colorado may transfer up to $50 per dues-paying member per year into the Environment Colorado Small Donor Committee.