A great way to help native bees is to provide bee-friendly flowering plants in your yard. While most plants bloom in the spring and summer — not coincidentally, when bee populations are at their height — there are some winter bloomers that are an important source of nutrition in the cold, gray part of the year.
This heather (Erica spp.) is a low-growing evergreen shrub that blooms from mid-November through mid-February in western Oregon. On mild, sunny winter days, queen bumblebees are frequent visitors, along with non-native honey bees (Apis mellifera). Having a year-round food source helps keep the bee population strong and gives a boost to the overwintering queens when they start their new colony in early spring.
Heathers come in a range of shades from white to pink to purple; once established, they're very low-maintenance. They don't need summer watering and they don't have problems with pests or diseases. Pruning is only necessary if you want to keep them small. So plant a heather and feed your winter bees!
