Bees
Alkali bees
Genus Nomia
They move pollen between flowers while foraging, helping many wild plants and some crops set seed and fruit.
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Meet the pollinators
Pollinator Species Directory
Explore bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, and other pollinators with filters by region and season.
56 pollinators found
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Flies
Bee flies
Family Bombyliidae
Adults visit flowers for nectar and can move pollen between blooms; their presence is a sign of diverse, functioning habitats.
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Flies
Blow flies
Family Calliphoridae
Many blow flies visit flowers for nectar and can move pollen as they feed, supporting both wild plants and gardens.
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Butterflies
Blues, coppers & hairstreaks
Family Lycaenidae
They help move pollen between flowers while feeding on nectar, and their caterpillars are part of local food webs and plant communities.
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Wasps
Braconid wasps
Family Braconidae
Many adults visit flowers for nectar, and many species help naturally control garden pests by parasitizing them.
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Butterflies
Brushfoots
Family Nymphalidae
Many brushfoots move pollen between flowers as they feed, and their caterpillars are part of healthy food webs.
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Bees
Bumble bees
Genus Bombus
Bumble bees are important pollinators of many wildflowers and garden plants, helping ecosystems and food crops reproduce.
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Bees
Carpenter bees
Genera Xylocopa and Ceratina
They move pollen between flowers while feeding, supporting seed and fruit set in many wild plants and some garden plants.
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Bees
Cellophane (polyester) bees
Genus Colletes
They move pollen between flowers while foraging, helping wild plants and gardens set seed and fruit.
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Beetles
Checkered beetles
Family Cleridae
Some adults visit flowers and can move pollen as they feed; many also help keep insect populations balanced.
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Moths
Clearwing moths
Family Sesiidae
Adults can move pollen between blooms, and their presence can signal how healthy local plant communities are.
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Bees
Cuckoo bees (parasitic bees)
Multiple genera (e.g., Nomada; Sphecodes)
They’re part of healthy bee communities and can still move pollen while feeding on nectar.
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Wasps
Cuckoo wasps
Family Chrysididae
They can contribute to pollination while feeding at flowers, and they’re part of healthy, diverse insect communities.
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Flies
Dance flies
Family Empididae
Many visit flowers for nectar and can move pollen between blooms while also playing important roles in local food webs.
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Bees
Digger bees
Tribe Anthophorini (e.g., Anthophora)
They move pollen between flowers while feeding, helping wild plants and many garden plants set seed and fruit.
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Wasps
Fig wasps (where figs occur)
Family Agaonidae
They’re closely tied to fig reproduction, helping figs make seeds and supporting food webs where figs grow.
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Beetles
Flower chafers / scarabs
Family Scarabaeidae (often Cetoniinae)
Many visit flowers for food and can move pollen as they feed. They’re part of the wider “flower visitor” community that helps plants set seed and fruit.
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Flies
Flower flies / hoverflies
Family Syrphidae
Adults visit flowers for nectar and pollen, and many species’ larvae help keep plant-eating pests in check.
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Moths
Geometer moths
Family Geometridae
Adults can help move pollen as they nectar at flowers, and their caterpillars are an important part of local food webs.
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Moths
Hawk / sphinx moths
Family Sphingidae
They can move pollen between flowers while feeding on nectar, especially for blooms that open or scent up in the evening.
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Bees
Honey bees (managed)
Genus Apis (non-native in North America)
They move pollen between flowers while foraging, supporting many flowering plants and crops where they are used for pollination.
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Flies
House-fly relatives
Family Muscidae
Many muscid flies visit flowers for nectar and can move pollen between blooms, especially in everyday urban and suburban habitats.
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Birds
Hummingbirds
Family Trochilidae
They move pollen between flowers while feeding, helping many plants reproduce.
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Wasps
Ichneumon wasps
Family Ichneumonidae
Many adults visit flowers for nectar, and their larvae help regulate other insect populations—supporting healthier, more balanced habitats.
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Bees
Leafcutter bees
Genus Megachile
They move pollen between flowers while foraging, helping many wild plants and garden plants set seed and fruit.
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Bees
Long-horned bees
Tribe Eucerini
They move pollen between flowers as they feed, supporting seed and fruit set in many wild plants and some crops.
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Bats
Long-nosed bats
Genus Leptonycteris
They move pollen between flowers over long distances, helping some plants set fruit and seed.
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Beetles
Longhorn beetles
Family Cerambycidae
Adults of many species visit flowers for nectar and pollen and can move pollen as they feed and crawl across blooms.
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Bees
Mason bees
Genus Osmia
They move pollen between flowers while foraging, helping many wild plants and garden crops set seed and fruit.
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Butterflies
Metalmarks
Family Riodinidae
Metalmarks are part of healthy butterfly communities and can contribute to pollination as they nectar at blooms.
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Butterflies
Milkweed butterflies (Danaine group)
Subfamily Danainae (within Nymphalidae)
Adults visit many flowers for nectar and can move pollen as they feed; their caterpillars also highlight the importance of host plants in healthy habitats.
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Bees
Mining bees
Genus Andrena
They move pollen between flowers while foraging, helping many wild plants and garden plants set seed and fruit.
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Bats
Nectar-feeding bats
Subfamily Glossophaginae
They move pollen between flowers over long distances and help many plants set fruit and seed.
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Birds
Other nectar-feeding birds (regional)
Various families (region-dependent)
They move pollen between flowers while feeding on nectar, supporting seed and fruit production in many plants.
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Moths
Owlet moths
Family Noctuidae
Many adults visit flowers for nectar and can move pollen between blooms while feeding.
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Wasps
Paper wasps
Genus Polistes
They can move pollen while drinking nectar, and they also help control many plant-eating insects.
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Wasps
Pollen wasps
Subfamily Masarinae (Vespidae)
They move pollen between blooms while feeding, supporting seed and fruit set in many flowering plants.
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Beetles
Sap beetles
Family Nitidulidae
Some sap beetles visit flowers for food and can move pollen as they feed, adding to the “many small helpers” that support plant reproduction.
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Wasps
Scoliid wasps
Family Scoliidae
Adults visit flowers for nectar and can move pollen as they feed; their young develop as parasites of soil-dwelling beetle grubs, linking healthy soils to healthy pollinator habitats.
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Moths
Silkmoths (giant moths)
Family Saturniidae
They’re part of healthy food webs and plant communities, and their caterpillars depend on a wide range of native trees and shrubs.
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Butterflies
Skippers
Family Hesperiidae
Skippers visit many flowers for nectar and can help move pollen between blooms while they feed.
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Other mammals
Small mammals that can pollinate
Varies (region-dependent)
Some small mammals can move pollen while feeding, helping certain plants reproduce when insects are less active.
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Moths
Small nectar moths (micro-moths)
Multiple families (varies)
Many small moths move pollen while feeding on nectar, supporting wild plants and garden blooms—especially in the evening and at night.
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Beetles
Soft-winged flower beetles
Family Melyridae
They can move pollen as they feed and wander across flowers, supporting plant reproduction in gardens and natural areas.
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Beetles
Soldier beetles
Family Cantharidae
Many adults visit flowers and can move pollen between blooms, while also helping control some garden pests.
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Flies
Soldier flies
Family Stratiomyidae
Many adults visit flowers for nectar and can move pollen between blooms while feeding.
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Wasps
Solitary hunting wasps
Families Crabronidae and Sphecidae
They visit flowers for nectar and can move pollen between blooms while also helping keep other insect populations in balance.
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Bees
Squash bees
Genera Peponapis and Xenoglossa
They’re specialist pollinators that can strongly support squash-family crops and related wild plants where they occur.
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Bees
Stingless bees (Mexico / tropics)
Tribe Meliponini
They help pollinate many wild and cultivated plants in tropical and subtropical regions, supporting food webs and biodiversity.
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Butterflies
Swallowtails
Family Papilionidae
Adult swallowtails visit many flowers for nectar and can help move pollen between blooms as they feed.
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Bees
Sweat bees
Family Halictidae
They help move pollen between flowers in gardens, parks, and natural areas, supporting seed and fruit production.
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Flies
Tachinid flies
Family Tachinidae
Many adults visit flowers for nectar, and their larvae help regulate other insect populations—supporting healthier, more balanced habitats.
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Beetles
Tumbling flower beetles
Family Mordellidae
They’re frequent flower visitors that can move pollen between blooms while feeding and crawling through flower parts.
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Beetles
Weevils (some flower weevils)
Family Curculionidae
Some weevils move pollen as they feed and crawl through flowers, and they’re part of healthy, diverse plant-and-insect communities.
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Butterflies
Whites & sulphurs
Family Pieridae
They visit a wide range of flowers for nectar and can help move pollen between blooms as they feed.
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Wasps
Yellowjackets & hornets
Genera Vespula and Dolichovespula
They can move pollen while feeding on nectar, and they also help control many plant-eating insects.
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