With the craze to create more pollinator habitat (a good thing), I have not come across popular articles about pond plants contributing. In addition to swamp milkweed as food and nectar sources for Monarchs, and water lily flowers being frequented by butterflies, pickerel weed sure attracts native bees like these bumble bees!





The value of this ecosystem service should be better recognized!

Beautiful Rah! I wish my pickerel weed survived it's first winter. I 'll have to do with broadleaf arrowhead and they really don't attract a lot of pollinators, but the native land plants around the pond can bring is some bees.

Perhaps an article in Pond Boss magazine on the topic? Lizard's tail does its part too.

Consider water willow as well. More than one species and they seem to benefit from water movement near roots. Small ponds I have yet to establish around perimeter but is can thrive around lakes with lots of fetch and constant water level. A lake in southern Illinois has stands that may be better than others for establishing in private ponds but legality needs to be addressed.

I consider willows invasive. I pull every seedling I find around the ponds. They will take over and in a few years lead to filling in of the pond around edges and cause leaks in the dam. Plus they limit access to the pond when they get thick. Fishing lines get hung in them when when casting, and just an all around nuisance.

Jim - I do not have any water willow but would like to add some to 2 new wetlands and a new pond. Any recommendations for a quality source?

All you have to do here is wait. I have to kill it out all around my ponds every year to keep it from spreading.

At least that is the case if it is the willow I am familiar with. I don't know if it comes in with the birds or floats in on the wind or what, but it shows up here and there will be sprouts all along any bare shoreline where grass or other plants are not already well established.

Water willow is a herbaceous plant not related to willow trees. I too kill the willow trees (glove of death!).

Sorry, I thought the "water willow" was a reference to common black willow trees (salix sp).

Common willow can spread by seeds in the wind commonly carried 1/2 mile or more. Also, any broken green twigs that land in wet spots can easily take root.

I think a lot more people would consider it if it did not have "willow" as part of its name. I may actually have a small patch in an emergent wetland built by INDOT, but it is not blooming, so I need to wait. Just need to be sure its not smartweed, although that is a good plant for wildlife as well. We are finally getting good rain, so its a bit mucky right now.

I have a 30-40 year old weeping willow close to my natural pond who’s roots have turned into humongous mats inside the pond along the bank. I can pull the mats up in huge clumps and pull them out, but I have no idea if the mats are good for the wildlife habitat frogs, snakes, baby fish etc or it is a detriment. It is also a collector of algae that sits on top. I do not want to kill the willow. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.