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chaparralgirl

Pollinators for Succulents?

5 years ago

Hi all!


My bestie is a budding scientific illustrator, specializing in entomology (insects and other such critters). She wants to make for me a picture of a pollinator visiting one of my favorite plants. I LOVE succulents, but it has occurred to me that the only critters I’ve ever seen on succulents are pests - mealy bugs, aphids, etc. (My succulent collection - when I had one - was largely indoors, and rarely bloomed, so I never saw any pollinators.) I was wondering, for those of you with outdoor succulents, what kinds of pollinators have you seen visiting your blooms, and what plants were they visiting?


Thanks in advance!

Comments (3)

  • 5 years ago

    It will depend on the specific plant but succulents and cacti are often pollinated by the same creatures that pollinate other outdoor plants - bees, flies, wasps, butterflies, etc. And birds and bats!! Bats - and moths - are big for night blooming succs like saguarro or cereus.

    I recall a January stroll through the Desert Garden of the Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino CA and having to dodge the hordes of hummingbirds that were visiting.

    chaparralgirl thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
  • 5 years ago

    Wow, that sounds exciting! I’ve visited a number of botanical gardens that had cacti & succulent exhibits, but they were all indoors, so no pollinators.

  • 5 years ago

    You need to Google your favorite plants in regards to their pollinators. Don't use such a broad term as 'succulent' in your search, but be specific.


    chaparralgirl thanked rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7