Upper Midwest Plants for Native Bees (Xerces Society: fact sheet)
A quick reference guide to some of the most effective native and ornamental plants for supporting native bees, based upon extensive observations by Xerces Society pollination ecologists.

Enhancing Beneficial Insects with Native Plants (Michigan State University: Extension web resource)
An extensive web site that includes lists of native and naturalized plant species for attracting pollinators and other beneficial insects, based upon extensive field testing.

Attracting Beneficial Insects with Native Flowering Plants (Michigan State University: Extension fact sheet)
A companion fact sheet to MSU’s native plants for attracting beneficial insects web site.

Wisconsin Pollinator Biology and Habitat (USDA-NRCS: technical note)
An in-depth guide to native bee ecology and conservation for natural areas and farms in Wisconsin. An extensive and detailed list of plant species is included on pages 18-24. Also included are color photos of common regional bees and sample seeding mixes for habitat restoration efforts.

Illinois Pollinator Biology and Habitat (USDA-NRCS: technical note)
An in-depth guide to native bee ecology and conservation for natural areas and farms in Illinois. An extensive and detailed list of plant species is included on pages 20-27. Also included are color photos of common regional bees and sample seeding mixes for habitat restoration efforts.

Nectar Corridors (USDA-NRCS: job sheet)
A job sheet containing technical specifications for the NRCS Conservation Security Program. This document includes both native and non-native plants, their bloom period and planting growth type.

The Wisconsin Bumblebee (citizen-scientist web site resource)
A list of native Wisconsin bumble bee plants mentioned in Bernd Heinrich’s 1979 book, Bumblebee Economics, compiled by Wisconsin citizen-scientist, Paul Oliphant.

Bumble Bee Conservation in and around Cranberry Marshes (University of Wisconsin: research summary)
An overview of research investigating bumble bee forage resources around cranberry bogs. Includes a list of plants that bumble bees visited.

Selecting Plants for Pollinators (Pollinator Partnership: fact sheets)
Several basic regional guides to native plants visited by various pollinators.

Plants for Native Bees in North America (Xerces Society: fact sheet)
A general information guide to selecting common native and ornamental garden plants that attract native bees.

Improving Forage for Native Bee Crop Pollinators (USDA National Agroforestry Center: technical note)
An in-depth guide to enhancing floral resources for native bees, with an emphasis on the selection of bee-friendly trees and shrubs

Plants Attractive to Native Bees (USDA Agricultural Research Service: web site resource)
A list of widely distributed plant genera that both are commonly cultivated and broadly attractive to bees.

Gardening for Native Bees in North America (USDA Agricultural Research Service: web site resource)
An overview of how to choose plants for garden settings to encourage bees.

Pollinator Habitat and Biology (Illinois USDA-NRCS: technical note)
An in-depth guide to native bee ecology and conservation for natural areas and farms in Illinois. An extensive and detailed list of plant species is included on pages 20-27. Also included are color photos of common regional bees and sample seeding mixes for habitat restoration efforts.

Wisconsin Biology Tech Note 8: Pollinator Biology and Habitat (Wisconsin USDA-NRCS: technical note) An in-depth guide to native bee ecology and conservation for natural areas and farms in Wisconsin. An extensive and detailed list of plant species is included on pages 18-24. Also included are color photos of common regional bees and sample seeding mixes for habitat restoration efforts.

Pollinator Habitat Planting (USDA-NRCS: job sheet)
This document outlines the technical specifications required to establish pollinator habitat through the Conservation Reserve State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (CRP-SAFE) Program. Included in the document is information about site preparation, planting, and long-term land management recommendations.

Factors Affecting Butterfly Use of Filter Strips in Southwestern Minnesota (Iowa and Minnesota USDA-NRCS: research summary)
A summary of how native grass farm buffer strips affect the populations of several butterfly species in intensively farmed landscapes.

Conserving Native Bees on Farmland (Michigan State University: Extension fact sheet)
An overview of Michigan’s native bees and the plants that support them, as well as strategies for their conservation on farms.

Cranberry Pollination and Bumblebees (Wisconsin Cranberry Growers Association: presentation summary)
This document provides an assessment of wild bumble bee pollination for Wisconsin cranberry production. Includes a short list of plant species that support bumble bees before and after crop bloom.

Conserving Pollinators: A Primer for Gardeners (University of Minnesota: Extension web resource)
An introduction to pollinator conservation in urban gardens including information on pesticides reduction, flower selection for pollinators, native bee nests, and backyard beekeeping.

Farming for Bees (Xerces Society: conservation guidelines)
This booklet outlines ways to protect and enhance habitat for native crop pollinators in the farm landscape. It includes advice on simple changes that can be made in farm management for the benefit of native bees, as well as how to create important habitat features.

Organic farming practices: Reducing harm to pollinators (Xerces Society: fact sheet)
Guidelines that rank the impact of various farming practices to native bees.

Pollinators in Natural Areas (Xerces Society: conservation guidelines)
This primer provides a summary of how land and wildlife managers can account for the habitat needs of pollinators. This 8-page booklet provides a series of recommendations for land managers on how tools such as fire, grazing, mowing, herbicides, and insecticides can be adjusted to benefit pollinators.

Pollinator-Friendly Parks. How to Enhance Parks, Gardens, and other Greenspaces for Native Pollinator Insects (Xerces Society: conservation guidelines)
These guidelines offer practical advice about providing habitat for native bees and butterflies in all types of parks and greenspaces. It includes advice on choosing plants that offer nectar and pollen, hostplants for caterpillars, and creating nest sites for solitary bees-in all types of parks.

Making Room for Native Pollinators. How to Create Habitat for Pollinator Insects on Golf Courses (Xerces Society: conservation guidelines)
Published by the U.S. Golf Association in 2002. Maintaining pollinator populations is one of the most valuable ways in which a course can contribute to a healthy environment. These guidelines offer tips for providing habitat for native bees.

Using Farm Bill Programs for Pollinator Conservation (USDA-NRCS: Technical Note)
These guidelines provide a concise summary of how Farm Bill conservation programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program or the Conservation Reserve Program, can be used to restore or enhance habitat for pollinators on working farms and private lands.

Sustaining Native Bee Habitat for Crop Pollination (USDA National Agroforestry Center: Technical Note)
An overview of how to provide habitat for crop-pollinating native bees in agroforestry settings.

Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees (ATTRA: handbook)
This publication provides information and resources on how to plan for, protect and create habitat for native bees in agricultural settings. The handbook includes a description of common native bee groups, nest management guidelines, wildflower recommendations, farm case studies, and other resources.

Protecting Honey Bees from Pesticides (Ohio State University: Extension fact sheet)
This guide provides honey bee toxicity ranking for many common pesticides. Note that native bees, especially small species, may have a lower tolerance for than honey bees for pesticide exposure.

Organic-approved pesticides: Minimizing risks to pollinators (Xerces Society: fact sheet)
Guidelines that rank the toxicity of common, organic-approved pesticides to native bees.

Pesticide Considerations for Native Bees in Agroforestry (USDA National Agroforestry Center: technical note)
An article highlighting how to reduce bee poisoning from pesticides.

How to Reduce Bee Poisoning from Pesticides (University of Oregon: Extension fact sheet)
A publication listing common agricultural pesticides and their known effects on multiple bee species.

Ecological Pest Management Database (ATTRA: web resource)
An online database that helps users select reduced risk pesticides for the protection of beneficial insects.

Managing Alternative Pollinators: A Handbook for Beekeepers, Growers, and Conservationists (SARE: handbook)
A first of its kind, step-by-step, full color guide for rearing and managing bumblebees, mason bees, leafcutter bees, and other honey bee alternatives. Free download; 162 pages.

Nests for Native Bees (Xerces Society: fact sheet)
A resource to that describes techniques used to make nests for native bees.

Tunnel Nest Construction and Management (Xerces Society: fact sheet)
Guidelines on the construction and maintenance of nest sites for tunnel nesting native bees.

Build a Nesting Board (USDA Agriculture Research Center: web site resource)
Instructions on how to construct a drilled nest board for leafcutter and mason bees. Includes extensive color photos of the construction process.

Reed Nests (USDA Agriculture Research Center: web site resource)
Instructions on how to cut and assemble bundled reed nests using the common reed (Phragmites australis).

Stick Nests (USDA Agriculture Research Center: web site resource)
An illustrated guide to constructing stick nests and stake nests for wood nesting bees such as mason bees, leafcutter bees, and various carpenter bees.

Agrecol, Madison, WI
Agrecol provides a diverse selection of native wildflower and grass seed, as well as live native plants, to the Upper Midwest.

Allendan Seed, Winterset, IA
Allendan Seed offers over 250 species of Iowa grown native wildflower and prairie seed.

Amanda’s Garden, Springwater, NY
Amanda’s Garden offers nursery propagated perennials native to the Northeast.

Blazing Star Nursery, Woodstock, IL
Blazing Star sells prairie, woodland and wetland seeds and small numbers of plants from the northeastern Illinois region.

Bluestem Farm, Baraboo, WI
Bluestem offers nursery-propagated prairie, savanna, and woodland potted plants native to southern Wisconsin.

Country Road Greenhouses, Inc. , Rochelle, IL
Country Road Greenhouses, Inc. specializes in prairie forb, grass and sedge transplants.

Earthskin Nursery, Mason City, IL
Earthskin Nursery specializes in central Illinois ecotype seed of prairie forbs and grasses.

Everwilde Farms, Inc. , Bloomer, WI
Everwilde offers a selection of wildflower seeds, including species native to the Midwest.

Envirotech Nursery, Somerset, OH
Envirotech is a wholesale and retail native plant nursery that sells wetland, sedge meadow, wet prairie and tallgrass prairie plants.

Feder Prairie Seed, Blue Earth, MN
Feder’s specializes in local ecotype south central Minnesota native prairie forb and grass seeds.

Heartland Restoration Services, Inc. , Fort Wayne, IN
Heartland’s native seed nursery provides seed of Midwestern wildflowers, grasses and sedges, and will also contract grow native plant materials.

Hidden Savanna Nursery, Kalamazoo, MI
Hidden Savanna provides Michigan native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs sold in containers and plugs, with a focus on SW Michigan ecotypes.

Hild & Associates, River Falls, WI
Hild & Associates provides of plant material of native prairie and wetland species of the Midwest.

Hoksey Native Seeds, Lynnville, IA
Hoksey provides Iowa ecotype natvie grasses and wildflower seeds, as well as CRP or custom seed mixes.

Ion Exchange Native Wildflower Seed and Nursery, Harpers Ferry, IA
Ion Exchange sells native prairie wildflower and grass seed and plant materials to locations in the Midwest.

J & J Transplant Aquatic Nursery Inc. , Wild Rose, WI
J & J offers plugs, seeds and bare root material of prairie and aquatic Midwest species.

JF New, Walkerton, IN
JF New’s plant nursery provides plant materials and seeds of Midwest native grasses, wildflowers, trees and shrubs.

Landscape Alternatives, Inc. , Shafer, MN
Prairie flowers and grasses and Midwest woodland flowering plants can all be found at Landscape Alternatives plant nursery.

Michigan Wildflower Farm, Portland, MI
Michigan Wildflower Farm is a producer of local ecotype native Michigan wildflower and grass seed.

Minnesota Native Landscapes, Otsego, MN
Minnesota Native Landscapes offers native Minnesota plant community seed mixes, as well as trees and shrubs, and can custom grow requested native plants.

Morning Sky Greenery, Morris, MN
Morning Sky sells seeds and plant materials of a wide range of native plants found in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.

Native Connections, Three Rivers, MI
Native Connections provides Michigan ecotype grass and wildflower seed.

The Native Plant Nursery, LLC, Ann Arbor, MI
The Native Plant Nursery, Inc. offers Michigan sourced native plants and seeds, as well as custom seed mixes.

The Natural Garden, Inc. , St. Charles, IL
The Natural Garden, Inc. sells herbaceous perennial plants native to the Chicago region, as well as seeds of some species.

Natural Shore Technologies, Inc. , Maple Plain, MN
Natural Shore’s nursery specializes in moisture-loving prairie plants as well as Minnesota native shore and wetland plant stock.

Oakland Wildflower Farm, Ortonville, MI
Oakland Wildflower Farm sells transplants of native forbs and grasses, and specializes in Southeast Michigan ecotypes.

Ohio Prairie Nursery, Hiram, OH
Ohio Prairie Nursery provides Ohio regional seed mixes as well as species of wildflower, grass and sedge seeds, and a limited amount of plant material.

Osenbaugh’s Praire Seed Farms, Lucas, IA
This seed producer provides prairie wildflower and grass seeds of Iowa ecotypes.

Out Back Nursery, Inc. , Hastings, MN
Out Back sells plant materials from Minnesota woodland, floodplain, savanna, wetland, shoreline, and prairie species.

The Plantsmen Nursery, LLC, Groton, NY
This nursery provides grasses, shrubs, trees, perennial wildflowers and wetland plants native to New York.

Possibility Place Nursery, Monee, IL
Possibility Place Nursery offers plants of Illinois native shrubs, trees and perennials.

The Prairie Flower, Spencer, IA
The Prairie Flower provides northwest Iowa ecotype native prairie and wetland plants and seeds.

Prairie Nursery, Westfield, WI
Prairie Nursery provides native wildflower and grass seed, seed mixes, and plants to the Midwest region.

Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN
Prairie Moon has a high diversity of species native to the Upper Midwest for prairie, savanna, woodland and wetland, and sells seed and bare-root plants.

Prairie Restorations, Inc. , Princeton, MN
Prairie Restorations provides Minnesota ecotype seeds and plants of prairie, savanna, wetland, woodland and shoreline species.

Shooting Star Native Seeds, Spring Grove, MN
Shooting Star Native Seeds specializes in local ecotype prairie and wetland seed, as well as seed mixes appropriate for the Upper Midwest.

Simply Native Nursery, Alexis, IL
We offer nursery propagated prairie, woodland and wetland forbs and grasses native to Western IL/Eastern IA.

Southern Tier Consulting and Nursery, Inc. , West Clarksville, NY
This nursery sells live plant material of wetland, wildflower and grasses native to the NE U. S., in addition to some seed.

Spence Restoration Nursery, Inc. , Muncie, IN
Spence provides native seeds and plants of eastern Midwest ecotypes, including wetland, prairie, and woodland species.

Spring Lake Restoration Nurseries, Prior Lake, MN
Spring Lake sells plants and seeds of ecotypes of east-central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin.

Stone Silo Prairie Gardens, De Pere, WI
Stone Silo provides native flowers and grasses, available online or by mail.

Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries, Brodhead, WI
Taylor Creek offers native seeds and plants of prairie grasses and wildflowers, shrubs and trees of the Midwest.

Wetland Supply Company, Apollo, PA
Wetland Supply sells native wetland, prairie and woodland plants, both containerized and bare root stock.

Wildtype Native Plant Nursery, Mason, MI
Wildtype provides Michigan ecotype plant material of woody plants, forbs and grass species.

Wilson Seed Farms, Inc. , Tiskilwa, IL
Wilson Seed Farms, Inc. sells native wildflower and grass seed, and can provide specific seed mixes to comply with conservation program requirements or will create custom Illinois seed mixes.

Winterhaven Wildflowers, West Point, IN
Winterhaven offers wholesale, retail or contact growing of Indiana native wildflowers and grasses, and specializes in monarch habitat plants, including ten species of milkweed.

Woods’ Edge Farm, Muscoda, WI
Woods’ Edge Farm provides Wisconsin ecotype perennials and shrubs native to the woodlands and savannas of the upper Midwest.

Pennsylvania Citizen-Scientist Bee Monitoring Guide (Penn State: Instructional Handbook)
An instructional handbook for native bee survey efforts, used by the Penn State Master Gardener Program. The handbook assists users in identifying native bees to broad morphological categories for assessing general pollinator abundance and diversity. Developed in collaboration with the Xerces Society, this guide is useful in identifying broad groups of bees throughout the Northeastern U.S.

Pennsylvania Citizen-Scientist Bee Monitoring Pocket Guide (Penn State: Field ID Guide)
A pocket-sized printable field version of the taxonomic native bee groups described the Penn-State Citizen-Scientist Bee Monitoring Guide.

Yellowbanded Bumble Bee Pocket Identification Guide (Xerces Society: print resource)
A full color print-and-fold guide to the yellowbanded bumble bee (Bombus terricola), a formerly common species believed to be in decline. Includes images of similar looking species.

Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee Pocket Identification Guide (Xerces Society: print resource)
A full color print-and-fold guide to the rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis), a formerly common species believed to be in decline. Includes images of similar looking species.

BugGuide (Iowa State University: web resource)
BugGuide is an online community of naturalists who share photographs of bugs from the United States and Canada for identification and research. Site visitors can submit their own photos for identification assistance.

Discover Life (American Museum of Natural History: web resource)
Discover Life hosts interactive species guides provide identification support for North American bees in the states and provinces east of the Mississippi River. Work is ongoing to add additional species guides for bees from the rest of North American and the world.

Great Sunflower Project (San Francisco State University: citizen science program)
The Great Sunflower Project is a citizen-science monitoring effort to gather information about urban, suburban and rural bee populations across the U.S. and Canada. Participants plant sunflowers in their garden, then submit the results of a once weekly 15 minute observation of bee activity. The website offers guides to common bee groups of North America.