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Save room for pollinators

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As spring arrives and the world wakes around us, more and more people are also waking up to the reality that we have to assist the precious life of our planet. Since we’ve domesticated the landscape, it seems only fair we do our part to use our landscapes to promote the health and well-being of creatures essential in sustaining our way of life—and who does a more important job than pollinators?

Pollinators visit flowers for a variety of reasons. Flowers provide food, shelter, nest-building materials and even mates. Besides the food they provide, flowering plants can attract pollinators with their shape, scent and color.

The Pollinator Gang

Bees are the most efficient, hardworking pollinators. In the United States alone, there are more than 4,000 native species of bees. Thanks to bees, say the Friends of the Earth, “we can enjoy a range of foods from apples and pears to coffee and vanilla. And if you are wearing cotton, that’s because the cotton plant your threads came from was pollinated.” To help attract bees in your yard or garden, plant bright white, yellow and blue flowers that are shallow or tubular with some form of a landing platform.

Pollinators aren’t strictly insects; birds also do some of the work. The most common bird pollinator in our area is the hummingbird. Hummingbirds love red, orange and white tubular flowers with large, funnel-like cups and strong perch support.

Butterflies enjoy brightly colored flowers with a wide landing pad, as, unlike bees, they cannot fly while feeding. While butterflies may not be the most efficient pollinators, they are indicators of a healthy ecosystem. Not only are they beautiful, they also provide natural pest-control services. They also do a bit of housekeeping, as they are happy to eat the rotten fruit in your garden. To invite butterflies into your landscape, include larval host plants for caterpillars to eat. Monarch caterpillars in particular depend on native milkweed.

Beetles may not be the most appealing visitors, but they are useful pollinators. They prefer dull white and green flowers with large bowls to clumsily fly into, such as magnolias. Beetles often leave a mess behind as they eat, damaging plant parts and excreting waste as they go—but they’re doing the best they can.

Moths and bats are the nocturnal pollinators in charge of the night shift. Bats go for dull white, green and purple bowl-shaped flowers with a strong musty odor. These flowers may be closed during the day. Moths enjoy pale red, purple, pink and white tubular flowers with sweet scents.

It is also incredibly helpful to implement a bee bath in your garden for bees, birds, butterflies and other pollinating pals. It doesn’t need to be fancy, you can make one easily with a shallow plate or lid. Place it at ground level and include a few stones that can act as landing pads. Change the water every few days to avoid mosquitoes.

Keep pollinators in mind as you choose the flowers for your yards and gardens. Help them help us sustain the beauty and wildlife of our area.

For more information, visit www.pollinator.org, www.pollinator-pathway.org and www.fs.fed.us.

pollinators, flowers, butterflies, ecosystem

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