Common Turf Forbs as an Insect Pollinator Resource in the Southeastern United States - Dataset

This dataset reflects the efforts of a two-year pollinator survey on 10 of the most common flowering forb species found in low-maintenance turfgrass systems of the southeastern United States. The goals of these surveys were to compare the abundance and diversity of insect visitors, evaluate plant-pollinator interaction networks, and identify the pollinator taxa significantly associated with particular forb species. We found that the native forb species, particularly Claytonia virginica and Symphyotrichum divaricatum, consistently supported more abundant and diverse pollinator communities, occupied more influential positions within the plant-pollinator network, and exhibited stronger associations with native pollinator taxa than introduced species. These findings indicate that conserving and promoting native flowering forbs within low-maintenance turfgrass systems can increase the conservation value of managed landscapes by supporting diverse pollinator communities and ecologically important plant-pollinator interactions.