Best pollinator trees for the Colorado Front Range
Trees are an underrated pollinator resource — a single mature tree can offer more bloom than a whole flower bed. These Front Range trees are strong nectar or pollen sources for bees and other pollinators (wind-pollinated trees like oaks and elms offer little).
115 plants
Hawthorn — River/DouglasCrataegus douglasii
Maple — BigtoothAcer grandidentatum
Maple — Boxelder 'Sensation'Acer negundo
Maple — Rocky MountainAcer glabrum
Willow — PeachleafSalix amygdaloides
Bechtel 'Plena'Malus ioensis
Black Locust - 'Purple Robe'Robinia pseudoacacia
Buckeye/Horsechestnut — 'Briotti', 'Fort McNair'Aesculus x carnea
Buckeye/Horsechestnut — Common HorsechestnutAesculus hippocastanum
Buckeye/Horsechestnut — Ohio BuckeyeAesculus glabra
Buckeye/Horsechestnut — Texas Buckeye (Western Buckeye)Aesculus glabra var. arguta
Buckeye/Horsechestnut — Yellow BuckeyeAesculus flava
Callery - 'Bradford'Pyrus calleryana
Catalpa — ChineseCatalpa ovata
Catalpa — Northern/Western, HEARTLAND®Catalpa speciosa
Chinese lantern tree — GoldenraintreeKoelreuteria paniculata
Corktree — Amur corktreePhellodendron amurense
Crabapple — AdirondackMalus 'Adirondack'
Crabapple — BRANDYWINE®Malus x 'Branzam'- Crabapple — CORALBURST®Malus x 'Coralcole'
- Crabapple — DolgoMalus 'Dolgo'
- Crabapple — GladiatorMalus 'Gladiator'
- Crabapple — Indian MagicMalus 'Indian Magic'
- Crabapple — LouisaMalus 'Louisa'
- Crabapple — Prairie RoseMalus 'Prairie Rose'
- Crabapple — PrairiefireMalus 'Prairiefire'
- Crabapple — RadiantMalus 'Radiant'
- Crabapple — Red BarronMalus 'Red Barron'
- Crabapple — ROYAL RAINDROPS®Malus 'JFS-KW5'
Crabapple — SargentMalus sargentii- Crabapple — Sargent TinaMalus sargentii 'Tina'
- Crabapple — Spring SnowMalus 'Spring Snow'
- Crabapple — ThunderchildMalus 'Thunderchild'
Dogwood — Cornelian Cherry, 'Golden Glory'Cornus mas
Dogwood — Giant – 'June Snow'Cornus controversa
Freeman - 'Armstrong', AUTUMN BLAZE®, AUTUMN FANTASY®, SIENNA GLENN®Acer x freemanii
Fruit Apple — HoneyCrisp, McIntosh, Red Deliciious, Sweet Sixteen, ZestarMalus varieties
Fruiting types — Apricot 'Moongold', 'Moorpark'Prunus armeniaca- Fruiting types — Apricot-ChinesePrunus armeniaca
Fruiting types — BingPrunus avium 'Bing'
Fruiting types — Cherry – 'Montmorency', 'North Star'Prunus cerasus
Fruiting types — Peach – Elberta, Polly, Red HavenPrunus persica 'Elberta', 'Polly', 'Red Haven'- Fruiting types — Peach – Reliance, Veteran, ContenderPrunus persica 'Reliance', 'Veteran', 'Contender'
Fruiting types — Plum – Mount RoyalPrunus 'Mount Royal'
Fruiting types — Plum – Santa RosaPrunus salicina 'Santa Rosa'- Fruiting types — Plum – TokaPrunus 'Toka'
- Fruiting types — Plum- StanleyPrunus 'Stanley'
- Fruiting types — Plum-SuperiorPrunus 'Superior'
- Fruiting types — Sour Cherry- Evans BaliPrunus cerasus 'Evans Bali'
- Fruiting types — Stella CompactPrunus avium 'Stella Compact'
Globe - 'Navajo'Salix matsudana- Golden Raindrops®Malus x 'Schmidtcutleaf'
Hawthorn — 'Toba'Crataegus x mordenensis
Hawthorn — Cockspur var. inermisCrataegus crus-galli
Hawthorn — DownyCrataegus mollis
Hawthorn — English – 'Crimson Cloud'Crataegus laevigata
Hawthorn — Green – 'Winter King'Crataegus viridis
Hawthorn — RussianCrataegus ambigua
Hawthorn — WashingtonCrataegus phaenopyrum
Honeylocust — Thornless Common – IMPERIAL®, SHADEMASTER®, SKYLINE®Gleditsia triacanthos- Honeylocust — Thornless Common – NORTHERN ACCLAIM®Gleditsia triacanthos
- Honeylocust — Thornless Common – SUNBURST®Gleditsia triacanthos
Linden — 'Glenleven'Tilia x flavescens
Linden — 'Harvest Gold'Tilia cordata x mongolica
Linden — American- American Sentry™, 'Redmond'Tilia americana
Linden — Littleleaf – GREENSPIRE®Tilia cordata
Linden — Silver – 'Sterling Silver'Tilia tomentosa
Maackia — Amur MaackiaMaackia amurensis
Maple — Amur/Ginnala – 'Flame'Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala
Maple — Bigtooth – ROCKY MOUNTAIN GLOW®, HIGHLAND PARK®Acer saccharum subsp. grandidentatum
Maple — HedgeAcer campestre
Maple — MiyabeAcer miyabei
Maple — Norway – 'Columnare', 'Crimson King', 'Crimson Sentry', 'Deborah', EMERALD LUSTER®, 'Emerald Queen', 'Fairview', 'Royal Red'Acer platanoides
Maple — NORWEGIAN SUNSET®, CRIMSON SUNSET®, PACIFIC SUNSET®Acer truncatum x platanoides
Maple — PaperbarkAcer griseum
Maple — Red – 'Autumn Flame', REDPOINTE®, RED SUNSET®Acer rubrum
Maple — Sugar – Caddo 'John Pair', 'Autumn Splendor', FLASH FIRE®Acer saccharum- Maple — Sugar – GREEN MOUNTAIN®, LEGACY®, FALL FIESTA®Acer saccharum
Maple — TatarianAcer tataricum- Maple — Tatarian HOT WINGS®Acer tataricum
Mountain-ash — EuropeanSorbus aucuparia- Mountain-ash — European – CARDINAL ROYAL®Sorbus aucuparia
Mountain-ash — Oak LeafSorbus x hybrida
Mountain-ash — Swedish WhitebeamSorbus intermedia
Ornamental types — Amur ChokecherryPrunus maackii
Ornamental types — Common Chokecherry – 'Canada Red', 'Schubert'Prunus virginiana
Ornamental types — European BirdcherryPrunus padus- Ornamental types — European Birdcherry – SUMMER GLOW®, 'Merlot'Prunus padus
Ornamental types — Newport PlumPrunus cerasifera 'Newport'- Ornamental types — Newport Plum (Kankakee strain)Prunus cerasifera 'Newport'
Ornamental types — PINK FLAIR®Prunus sargentii 'Pink Flare'
Ornamental types — Plum 'Princess Kay'Prunus nigra 'Princess Kay'
Ornamental types — Plum – Des FontainesPrunus x fontanesiana- Ornamental types — Plum – MT. ST. HELENS®Prunus cerasifera 'Frankthrees'
Ornamental types — Prunus- SUCKER PUNCH®Prunus x 'P002S' (PP25,767)
Pagodatree — Japanese Pagodatree, Millstone™Styphnolobium japonicum- Pear — Callery – 'Aristocrat', CHANTICLEER® (aka 'Cleveland Select'), 'Autumn Blaze', 'Redspire'Pyrus calleryana
- Pear — Callery – 'Capital', JAVELIN®Pyrus calleryana
- Pear — Jack'™Pyrus calleryana
Pear — Pear – 'Bartlett', 'Early Gold', 'Golden Spice', 'Luscious', 'Parker', 'Summercrisp'Pyrus
Pear — Ussurian – 'Prairie Gem', 'Mt. Frost'Pyrus ussuriensis
Redbud — 'Ruby Falls'Cercis canadensis- Redbud — EasternCercis canadensis
- Redbud — Eastern – 'Alba', 'Forest Pansy'Cercis canadensis
Serviceberry — 'Autumn Brilliance'Amelanchier x grandiflora
Serviceberry — AlleghenyAmelanchier laevis
Serviceberry — SaskatoonAmelanchier alnifolia
Serviceberry — ShadblowAmelanchier canadensis
Silver - all cultivarsAcer saccharinum
Tuliptree — TuliptreeLiriodendron tulipifera- Tuliptree — Tuliptree, EMERALD CITY®Liriodendron tulipifera
Willow — Niobe Weeping – 'Tristis'Salix alba
Willow — Prairie Cascade, WeepingSalix x 'Prairie Cascade'- Willow — Russian Golden – 'Vitellina'Salix alba
Yellowwood — American YellowwoodCladrastis kentukea