Is anyone growing Narcissus willkommii? If so, do you ever see bees (or other pollinators) actively foraging on them? Right now we have pared down to a single daffodil cultivar that still offers pollinator resources. I find this species intriguing but want to make sure I'm not planting another one that offers nothing to pollinators. Here's a link to someone's write-up on the species

https://fairegarden.wordpress....

Sweet.
I'm not sure I understand...is there a particular reason why it would not be useful to bees? Unless they emerge so early the bees haven't awakened yet ...?

I never thought about such short-lived flowers offering much for wildlife.

purpleinopp said: I never thought about such short-lived flowers offering much for wildlife.

Early sequential blooming of even short-lived blooms offers pollen and nectar to the few buzzies who are out and about before other plants wake up.

I don't doubt that, guess I thought it sounded like the daff was being specifically chosen for pollination. If I misunderstood, I'm sorry. Maybe it's just that a daff is desired so the most likely pollination-useful one is being chosen.

Daffs bloom so early here during the coldest part of the year, a time when if there are critters flying around looking for pollen, nectar, they are too sparse to be noticed during such sporadic forays out into the cold.

Early flowers in general are mostly ephemeral (having a limited blooming period) but are extremely important. It's easy to plant resources for mid and late season but much harder to plant to provide very early in the growing season.

That said. I just ran across the species and started to look into it. The issue with daffodils in particular is that they've been hybridized and mucked around with for so long, most provide little in the way of resources for pollinators. They look nice but that's usually it. We have limited space and the plants that get added have to satisfy multiple criteria. But pollinator resources are definitely high on the list of criteria.

Thank you, Urban. That makes sense, since it certainly applies to other flowering species. I found this article about daffs and pollinators that you've probably read, but might interest others
https://dyckarboretum.org/are-...

Although I'm not a native purist, I generally steer clear of highly hybridized anything, but never thought about daffodils in this light. But those itty bitty daffies are incredibly sweet!