The Beauty of Pollinator Gardens
Pollinator gardens – my new favorite thing. Pollinators are important to our food system. Pollinator gardens support and maintain pollinators by supplying food in the form of pollen and nectar that will ensure that these important animals stay in the area to keep pollinating our crops for continued fruit and vegetable production.
OUR INSECT POPULATION IS DISAPPEARING
You’re probably well aware that the populations of our native bees, butterflies, and other insect pollinators have been declining for several decades. A study from January 2019, indicates 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction.
Why is this important? First, no insects means no food. One out of every three bites of food you eat is due to pollinators. About three-fourths of all flowering plants are pollinated by insects, as well as the crops that produce more than one-third of the world’s food supply. Importantly, insects are the bedrock of our entire ecosystem (birds, lizards, frogs, and other wildlife). Without insects, birds and fish and small mammals decline; if they decline, the entire food chain is affected.
In September 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that, for the first time ever, it was placing seven species of bees on the endangered species list. Not ten days into the new year, it announced yet another addition: the rusty-patched bumblebee. In its statement, it noted that the bumblebee’s population has declined 87% in just two decades, leaving it “balancing precariously on the brink of extinction.”
Across the United States, bee populations are under enormous pressure from pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change – three factors that feel hard to overcome on the local level. Yet there is something very concrete we can do: turn our own yards into safe havens for bees and other pollinators.
Turning your space into a sanctuary can help restore habitat loss for bees and other pollinators while at the same time bringing color and life to your backyard. And best of all, you’ll be doing your part to bring our endangered bees back from the brink of extinction.
Dr. Sverdrup-Thygeson, a professor of conservation biology at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, states, “We can achieve a great deal with belts of trees and bushes alongside streams in residential areas, green shoulders and hedges along roads, and borders of wildflower meadows along the edges of fields.”
WORK WITH NATURE, NOT AGAINST IT
Even a regular homeowner with a small garden can have a powerful impact, namely by the planting of: native flowers and trees, pollinator host plants, creating nesting sites, and providing a refuge from pesticides.
Here’s more information:
10 WAYS THAT ANYONE CAN HELP POLLINATORS
1. CHOOSE NATIVE PLANTS OVER NON-NATIVES
“Native” plants are simply plants that occur naturally in the geographical region where they evolved. Native insects evolved alongside them, as did native birds and wildlife.
Exotic, or non-native plants can sometimes wipe out native plant and insect species, thereby negatively affecting the food chain. Select native plants for your landscape.
Leave small areas for wildflowers. These weedy plants are perfect for insects. Bright flowers such as sunflowers, candytuft, and marigolds create places where ladybugs and lacewings can shelter and lay eggs.
Consider a mixture of plants with diversified sources of nectar (e.g., shrubs, trees, and flowers—ideally, natives). Shrubs and trees such as dogwood, blueberry, cherry, plum, willow, and poplar provide pollen or nectar, or both, early in spring when food is scarce.
Look for a variety of plants that bloom in different seasons (spring, summer, and fall) to attract insects throughout the year. Adding native milkweed to your garden provides food for monarch butterfly caterpillars, but don’t forget nectar sources for the adults, such as flowers that bloom in late summer.
Consider planting a pollinator strip as a border to a vegetable garden or a wildflower border along the edge of your field. You’ll improve pollination of your crops and also support bees when the crops stop blooming. It will also attract and support other pollinators, such as hoverflies and wasps, that control crop pests.
2. WELCOME INSECTS INTO YOUR GARDEN
Pollinators are critical to our food supply. They keep flowers blooming; and they increase fruit/seed quantity in about 75% of food crops.
European honey bees, while still valuable, are not native to North America and are therefore much less efficient at pollinating native plants than native bee species. Native bees can be up to three times more efficient than honey bees.
Native bees, the most important pollinators in most ecosystems, include mason bees, sweat bees, carpenter bees, miner bees, and leafcutter bees, which are all solitary bee species. Instead of living in colonies, like honey bees or bumblebees, solitary bees live on their own in burrows, reeds, or other protected areas. Install a native bee hotel. Or, drill holes of varying sizes in a dead tree that’s still standing.
Bees aren’t the only pollinators, though. Half of the butterfly species in the study are also in decline, one-third is threatened with extinction. Flies also play important roles. More than butterflies, flies are actually the 2nd best pollinator.
Other insects—such as praying mantises, ladybugs, beetles, and green lacewings—are fantastic at tackling pests. For example, lacewings and ladybugs eat aphids, which can decimate vegetable crops. Do not spray chemicals on your plants—or insects.
** You can prevent stings by taking a few basic precautions. You can make your yard a haven for bees while preventing unnecessary stings. These include covering trash cans and food containers, cleaning up garbage and animal feces, wearing close-toed shoes, and avoiding bright colors and floral prints – let the bees find the flowers, not you.
3. Lose THE CHEMICALS
All gardens have pests, but it’s preferable to deter them in ways that won’t harm either the food you are growing or the beneficial insects.
Instead of spraying with chemicals, consider other options. From diatomaceous earth to neem oil to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), there are many less-toxic methods available that really work. Or, even better, no chemicals at all. Instead, incorporate plants that attract beneficial insects for pest control.
Remember that chemical fertilizers and pesticides eventually end up in rivers, oceans, and wetlands. See my previous post on Glyphosate and “Roundup.” Pesticides and herbicides tend to kill many more creatures than the one or two bug species that are targeted.
4. MIX IN “COMPANION PLANTS”
Most people are unfamiliar with the old-time practice of companion planting. It’s simple, just pair up the right plants to naturally repel pests. For example, dill and basil planted among tomatoes can protect from tomato hornworms. When paired together, companion plants improve each other’s health and yields.
Also, there is the option of mixing flowers and vegetables together. No need to choose between growing ornamentals and edibles. Many types of flowers confuse the “bad” pests and help you grow a healthier garden.
5. ENCOURAGE BIRDS
Birds are pollinators too. Provide clean water for birds (and insects) with a shallow dish, bowl, or birdbath with half-submerged stones for perches.
Put up bird feeders and nesting boxes. Here are some examples of easy DIY bird feeders. You can even turn it into a fun craft activity for the kiddos.
Don’t cut down the flowers of plants like sunflowers, coneflowers, and black-eyed Susans in the fall, as their seed heads provide a valuable food source for birds in winter.
6. BE WATER-WISE
Using water thoughtfully is a very important part of a pollinator-friendly landscape. As advised above, select your plants with care. If you have a dry area, consider native plants that are more naturally drought-tolerant such as sedum and speedwell (Veronica). If you have a wet area, consider water-tolerant plants (that don’t mind wet feet), such as iris, canna, and ferns.
Avoid wasting water. If you must use sprinklers, put them on timers. For gardens, flower beds, trees, and other non-lawn areas, installing a drip irrigation system that puts the water right into the soil, where you want it.
Harvest rain water. A rain garden collects rain water from a roof, driveway, or street and allows it to soak into the ground. Rain gardens can also help to filter out pollutants in runoff and provide food and shelter for butterflies, song birds, and other wildlife. A rain garden, situated at the corner of a parking lot, helps to catch water runoff during rainstorms. Alternatively, install a rain barrel to catch water and use it on your plants.
Organic mulches such as compost slow water down, so that more moisture seeps into the soil instead of running off. But be mindful of leaving a little bare ground so that solitary bees and pollinators have places to nest.
Finally, for all-grass lawns, consider reducing the size of what gets mowed. Perhaps stop mowing one section and convert it to a native wildflower border or meadow.
7. TRY COMPOSTING
If you have spare room in a corner of your yard, consider setting up a compost pile to dispose of your household’s vegetable scraps and yard trimmings, instead of throwing them out. You’ll encourage compost-making worms and bugs that will help to create a rich, fertile soil for your garden within months. It’s also a great way to use fallen leaves, for a zero waste approach. There’s also in-garden or “in-situ” composting, which is when you are composting directly where you’re going to grow.
There is another form of composting called vermicomposting. It’s where you feed certain kinds of worms your garbage. Yep, seriously, your garbage. It’s an easy, zero waste way to recycle food waste indoors year-round.
If you have roses or ornamental gardens, consider “compost tea,” which is a natural fertilizer to help plants thrive.
8. REUSE, Repurpose, RECYCLE, REDUCE, Renew
In general, caring about yourself and nature means being less wasteful. If you are a gardener, here are just a few ideas on doing just that:
Buy in bulk when you know that you’ll need a lot of topsoil, mulch, compost, or other materials. Doing this cuts down on plastic bags. Many garden centers will even deliver right to your yard. Also, check with your city recycling center (like Recology) or Department of Transportation; they might offer free compost, soil, sand, or other materials. Reuse, recycle, or return old plastic pots and trays.
9. GIVE GRASS A CHANCE TO THRIVE ALONE
Learn to love weeds. That includes dandelions and clovers, goldenrod and milkweed. And if you’re going to grow grass, eliminate the chemical pesticides that you spread on lawns in favor of alternatives that are healthier—healthier for you, for the lawn, and for the environment.
Start by checking the soil pH (acidity) of your lawn with a test kit available at most nursery and garden supply stores or at your state’s cooperative extension service. Soil pH affects the ability of plants to absorb nutrients. Spread limestone to raise the pH level (acid); spread aluminum sulfate to decrease the pH level (alkaline).
Grow grass that is suitable to your needs, not just in terms of climate and soil, but also with regard to purpose. Ask your nursery to recommend seed for grass that suits your site. Don’t shave the lawn down to the ground; mow it to be 2.5 to 3.5 inches tall all season. Cut it to about 2 inches in autumn.
And, if at all possible, use a hand mower, instead of an electric or gas model. You’ll appreciate the freedom from fumes and noise and even get a little exercise.
10. LEAVE NESTING SITES FOR POLLINATORS
Many insects hibernate for the winter and need a place to bed down. New queen bees are born in the fall. After breeding, they find a place to reside for the cold season, emerging in the spring to start the next generation. Hole-nesting bees and beetles need things like dead tree trunks or reeds to overwinter in. Leave some natural areas of your yard instead of landscaping every inch.
Sources:
Pollinator gardens
https://www.canr.msu.edu
Old Farmer’s Almanac
Plant a Pollinator Garden: 10 Ways to Work With Nature
https://www.almanac.com/content/plant-pollinator-garden
Student Conservation Association
7 Tips for Turning Your Backyard into a Pollinator’s Paradise
https://www.thesca.org