Replaced a maple with a redbud and the bees went nuts

I took down a mature silver maple last month in Austin and swapped in a Eastern redbud. Now I'm seeing more pollinator activity in that yard than I ever did with the maple, has anyone else noticed better insect life after switching to smaller flowering trees?

3 comments

3 Comments

dianawilson6d ago

Oh man, I did the exact same thing last year. Took out a giant silver maple that was basically just a leaf factory and put in a dogwood and a little redbud. Night and day difference with the bees and butterflies. Silver maples are pretty but they don't do much for pollinators, plus they're messy and breaky. Now my yard actually hums in spring, it's kind of awesome.

shanes666d ago

Not to argue but silver maples actually do support a ton of wildlife if you know what to look for. They're one of the first trees to flower in late winter, and that early pollen is critical for bees coming out of hibernation before anything else is blooming. Plus they host over 200 species of caterpillars, way more than dogwoods or redbuds. That "leaf factory" you mentioned is what feeds all the birds during nesting season. You might have more butterflies now but you probably lost a lot of moth species and the birds that eat them.

the_mary6d ago

Maple flowers are wind pollinated, that early pollen is more about quantity than quality for bees hitting it while nothing else is blooming. A redbud is basically a bee buffet with way better nectar rewards so you'll see way more activity. Silver maples do host a ton of caterpillars but most people aren't looking for moths and bird food when they're standing in their yard. If you want to see bees and butterflies doing their thing you made the right call. Are you noticing other bugs showing up too or just the usual honeybees?