Cuphea hyssopifolia Kunth: A Potential Plant for Conserving Insect Pollinators in Shivalik Foot Hills of Himalaya

Cuphea hyssopifolia Kunth, a tropical evergreen hardy shrub, was studied in foot hills of Shivalik range of Himalaya. This study revealed that a total of 30 insect species belonging to orders Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Lepidoptera visited this plant, with Simpson’s diversity index (SDI) of 0.94. The Shannon–Wiener index (H’) was 1.25 (morning), 1.28 (afternoon) and 1.31 (evening) showing upmost diversity with high abundance of pollinators for foraging on this plant whole day and also visitor species were evenly distributed. Peak foraging activity of visitors was found during afternoon (12.00–1.00 pm) with Apis mellifera, A. cerana and A. florea bees more interactive species. The weather parameters had a low and non-significant impact on insect visitation. This plant produces both pollen and nectar with profuse flowering to attract and sustain foraging activity. Thus, this plant can be recommended for conserving and augmenting the insect pollinators for enhancing pollination support in farming landscapes.