Pollinators like bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and even beetles are vital to Southern California’s gardens and farms. A pollinator-friendly yard can be as simple as planting a variety of native species that bloom at different times of year. Native plants arevaluable, since they have worked with local pollinators for thousands of years and often provide food sources for beneficial native insects. Avoiding pesticides, diversity in gardening, and less grass also make your garden more welcoming.

By creating even a small pollinator patch, you contribute to a larger network of habitats across Riverside County. Groups like the Temecula Native Plant Network heve been organizing and making more pollinator gardens across the area.

Here is a quick guide for Riverside County on native plants:

Here is a website from the California council on invasive plants, describing which local plants to use instead of common invasives: