Provide Water for Pollinators

Certification Requirements:

✓ In order to certify, your garden needs at least one of the following water sources, continuously available while pollinators are active:

  • Nearby natural body of water, such as a lake, river, stream or spring
  • Birdbath or shallow dish of water
  • Butterfly puddling area
  • Water garden or pond

Water Sources

Pollinators need water for drinking, cooling, and reproduction. Butterflies, for example, will gather and sip mineral-rich water from shallow mud puddles. Bees get water from the nectar they collect but may also collect water to help them build nests. If you don’t have a natural water source like a lake or stream, you can create one by adding a birdbath, puddling area, or even a water garden.

To make a birdbath or other water source useful for insects: add rocks for them to land on while they drink. Change the water 2-3 times a week during warm weather to prevent mosquito breeding.

Water sources should provide a continuous supply while pollinators are active. Vernal pools and intermittent streams are not reliable water sources because they dry up in summer.

Learn More About Pollinator Water Sources: