Health Library Pollinator Garden
Thanks to a grant from OSI’s Incentives Fund, the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library located at the 1462 Clifton Road Building has installed a small pollinator garden outside the window of its Relaxation Room. As of 2025, the garden includes five species of pollinator-friendly plants, which you can see in bloom if you visit during spring and summer. That addition of this pollinator garden aligns with the mission of Emory’s 2014 Pollinator Protection Policy, the first policy of its kind among university campuses.
Keep scrolling to learn more about the pollinator-friendly plants that grow in the garden. This educational page was created by members of the Health Library Pollinator Garden Team.
Milkweed
Famous as a food source and host plant for the larvae of the monarch butterfly, milkweed exudes a milky substance that is toxic to humans, but the stringy floss attached to their seeds has various uses as insulation and even hypoallergenic pillow filling. Milkweed is an important nectar source for bees and wasps, though the structure of their flowers can trap non-native honey bees. If you are making your own pollinator garden, it is important to plant a species of milkweed native to your region, to avoid disrupting monarch migratory patterns.
Beebalm
Some species of Monarda were used medicinally by Native Americans for their antiseptic properties, and occasionally even as seasoning for wild game. The crushed leaves exude a fragrant and spicy essential oil. They attract hummingbirds and pollinating insects, and can be food sources for butterfly and moth larva.
Coneflower (Black-eyed Susan)
Brightly petaled and perennial, Rudbeckia is popular among gardeners for its long flowering times, and is popular among caterpillars of several moth species as a food source. They can be toxic to cats, however.
Blanket Flower
Often bred for ornamental use, Gaillardia also serves as a food plant for caterpillars, and when honeybees get to it, it produces dark, buttery-tasting honey.
Blazing Star
The perennial blazing star bloom from July through September, attracting bees and hummingbirds, and they serve as a food source for some moth larvae. Blazing star was used by some Native Americans as a medicinal herb, particularly as a diuretic. (This fact is reported in a book from the 1950s, the truthfulness of which we cannot verify. If you would like to volunteer to nibble some of the roots, let us know and we’ll see if we can get clearance for a human trial.)