When you visit the nursery, it’s hard not to notice the busy bees all over the salvia. But why do they love these purple flowers? There are a few reasons.
Bees see in color, from orange to ultraviolet, but their favorite color is purple. In a 2007 study, scientists analyzed the habits of nine different colonies and found that bees were most drawn to purple flowers.
And bees who visited purple flowers were also more successful foragers. This is because flowers in the blue-purple range produce the highest volumes of nectar, and nectar gives energy to bees.
So while we can say bees love the color purple, we can also say they just really love nectar.
Salvia also features lots of blooms in one space, which means bees can quickly hop or crawl from one bloom to the next without exerting tons of energy.
In a previous video, we discussed these same principles with Heather, another favorite flower for bees. So make sure to stop by soon and pick up some purple flowers for your pollinator garden.