Plant motherwort for bees
Motherwort!
Here in Idaho, our early winter has been extremely warm. We're usually under a layer of snow by now. On these warm winter days, you'll notice bees and other insects waking from their winter hibernation to remove frass and dead bees from the hive, and to forage for food. While the occasional warmer day can be good for bees to accomplish these chores, too much of this high activity in winter is not good for bees. Pollen and nectar are extremely scarce right now, with almost nothing flowering in our area. Bees can quickly burn through their winter stores if they're coming out of their hibernation and flying around too much in winter. Their metabolisms are running "too hot" because temperatures aren't low enough to keep them in low power mode. Bees are coping with a lot these days. Drought during summer means that flowers have lower nectar content- a key food for bees- but some plants are naturally better able to create high quality pollen and nectar under dry conditions. Motherwort is one of those plants.
- Medicinal herb
- Pollinator garden superstar
- Low impact crop alert! Produces good nectar and pollen for bees even in drought/dry conditions. Desert beekeepers you need this!
Leonorus cardiaca
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A great perennial herb with many medicinal properties, motherwort is also a super forage plant for bees and other pollinators. Young leaves are used in nutritious teas and tinctures to treat a variety of issues. Small pink to lavender colored flowers are very popular with pollinators of all shapes and sizes, from tiny native bees, to honey bees and bumble bees. Fairly tall and spikey- about 3 ft tall at maturity. Can become weedy from self-sowing, but pretty easy to control if you have that in mind. We love watching the different pollinators finding much needed sustenance from the fuzzy flowers over a very long blooming season. Motherwort can be especially good for beekeepers to have around, as the flowers still have a high nectar content even under dry/drought conditions. |
