Pollinator Gardens

Pollinators help move pollen from one part of a flower to another using wind and water to distribute pollen as fertilizer for plants. Fertilization of plants helps to make seeds, grow fruits, and produce new plants. But many plants need help from insects and animals like bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and even some small mammals. These pollinators visit flowers to find food, shelter, and nest-building materials. Some pollinators, like bees, collect pollen on purpose. Others, like butterflies or birds, carry pollen accidentally as they move. As they drink nectar or land on flowers, pollen sticks to their bodies and gets carried to the next flower they visit. This is how pollination happens!

To plan a pollinator garden, first find a sunny location. Turn over the soil. Locate a water source for bees and birds to drink. Common pollinator perennials include Asters, Bee Balm (Monarda), Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia), Coneflower (Echinacea), Goldenrod (Solidago), and Salvia. Serviceberry shrubs, viburnums, Dogwoods, and Redwoods also attract pollinators. To plant a pollinator garden, select a variety of indigenous flower shapes, colors, and bloom times (spring to fall). Plant the flowering plants in clumps, surrounding them with leaf litter and brush piles. Annuals such as Cosmos, Mint, Thyme, Lavender, and Zinnia are hardy and provide shade and sunshine for pollinators. Monarch butterflies seek Milkweed and are the prime butterfly attraction, home to eggs and caterpillars. Pollinator gardens DO NOT USE pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides, but maintain nature’s services of soil, moisture, and indigenous plantings.

The fine, powdery substance produced by trees, grasses, and weeds for plant reproduction is known as pollen. The microscopic grains are released into the air and fertilize plants. Pollin acts as the male gametophyte (sperm cell) in flowering plants and conifers, which are necessary for seed formation. While crucial for nature, wind-dispersed pollen often triggers seasonal allergies, such as runny noses, sneezes, and watery or itchy eyes. In the spring, oak, birch, and cedar trees release pollen, triggering allergies in some people. The pollen from grasses aggravates symptoms in the summer. In the fall, ragweed and other weed pollens cause sneezing. Pollen makes us sneeze, but it is important. Almost 80% of plants worldwide require pollination. One in every three bites of food we eat comes from a plant that has been pollinated by moving pollen from one flower to another, which starts the formation of a fruit or seed. In the food chain, birds and other small mammals depend on fruits and seeds to survive. Pollen is beautiful!

Pollinator populations are declining due to climate change, pesticide use, habitat loss, and disease. People can help slow the decline of bees and bats with community conservation efforts. Increasing native plant gardens is a first step. Adding flowering bioswales as nesting habitats is another. Plant densely and ensure a continuous food supply from spring through autumn, while also leaving bare soil patches for ground-nesting bees. Pollinator gardens are colored with flowers, diverse plants, and can create biowswales, planted gardens on sidewalks, and yards.