Gardening for pollinators in a changing climate

Gardens are uniquely positioned to provide habitat for pollinators in urban and suburban landscapes. Concerns over pollinator declines have led to "plant for pollinators" initiatives, as a way to counteract habitat loss and fragmentation in urban landscapes. These efforts are well placed, as home gardeners manage over half of U.S. urban greenspace and research has found that urban gardens can harbor high pollinator diversity. Due to concerns over preserving evolved plant-pollinator relationships, native plants are frequently used in habitat plantings. However, plant selection is complicated by climate change, and is compounded in urban areas because of hotter temperatures in these landscapes. There is a need to identify drought-tolerant plants that can be cultivated by urban gardeners, as restrictions on water use may increasingly be implemented by municipalities. A shift to drought-tolerant plantings may also benefit bee communities adapted to xeric conditions by providing appropriate flowering resources, and reducing irrigation that might physically deter bees.