Two of our native bumblebees of conservation concern here in Massachusetts are in the "long tongue" category: Bombus fervidus, the Golden Northern Bumblebee, and Bombus vagans, the Half-Black Bumblebee.
Both of these bees are in danger of going extinct in Massachusetts if current trends continue, according to research from Robert Gegear, of UMass Dartmouth, and the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Lots of bees are in decline; the focus on these two is because, well, they're easy to spot if you look closely and know their color patterns, and because they are "indicator species," meaning their presence or absence gives us an idea of the overall health of the ecosystem.
This kit includes 50 of the most colorful and popular plants for attracting these bees. BONUS: these plants also attract hummingbirds, butterflies, songbirds and other pollinators.
All of the plants are plugs, and there are 50 plugs in this kit, which fit neatly in an 11 x 22-inch tray.
This kit is intended for a garden of approximately 100 square feet arranged in any shape. You can curve it along a walkway or go for a rectangle. Just make sure the plants get approximately six hours of full sun each day.
This kit will be available and ready for pick-up at Tree Talk Natives by May 1, 2026.
Planting for native bees
The first plant on this list, Common Blue Violet, blooms early, works as a lovely groundcover and attracts the Meadow Fritillary, a species of conservation concern in Massachusetts.
The others all provide nectar for both the Half-Black and the Golden Northern. With this kit, you should have blooms all season, from spring to fall.
This kit provides for 10 violets and 5 of everything else. The color of the bloom is included in parentheses.
May-September (purple) Common Blue Violet, Viola sororia (Meadow Fritillary and other butterflies)
May-June (white) Foxglove Beardtongue, Penstemon digitalis.
May-June (yellow) Yellow Wild Indigo, Baptisia tinctoria.
June-August (purple) Common Selfheal, Prunella vulgaris
June-September (purple) Allegheny Monkey Flower, Mimulus ringens.
July-September (red) Scarlet Bee Balm Monarda didyma
July-September (purple) Purple Giant Hyssop, Agastache scrophulariaefolia
August-September (Yellow) Showy Goldenrod Solidago speciosa, Simple Minor Bee, Andrena simplex, and other specialized bees. (Butterflies, songbirds)
In addition to these plants, consider adding pollen sources for these specialized bees. All of the options below are bushes except Spotted St. John's Wort, which is a wildflower.
- Willow (more coming in spring)
- Spotted St. John's Wort (Half-Black only)
- Virginia Rose
- Swamp Rose
- Meadowsweet
- Steeplebush