Growing a Pollinator Garden

Pollinator gardens have been in the news these last few years. Most of the articles focus on monarch butterflies and planting milkweed to support them. But they can be so much more than this and can help so many more living things than just monarchs.

What is a pollinator garden and why have one?

On some level, it is simply a garden with plants that supports insects with food and shelter. On the larger level, pollinator gardens are part of the massive food web that is our environment. Everything is interconnected. While milkweed supplies food for the monarch caterpillars, the flowers attract wasps, bees, and flies. These insects in turn become food for birds and small mammals to feed their young. The birds and small mammals are part of the food chain for hawks and foxes. In the fall, the seeds become food for birds and small mammals, and the hollow stems and dead leaves become homes to solitary bees and beneficial bugs to overwinter in. A pollinator garden should not be ‘cleaned up’ until late spring, or you will be throwing out the bees, butterflies and moths that hibernate there. To help them even further, you can also add some man made homes for the bees and the butterflies. Remember to clean out the boxes every year in the spring, once it warms up, to avoid transmitting any disease from year to year.

A true pollinator garden is an integral part of your backyard environment, supporting insects and mammals. A pollinator garden supports your local environment.

This means it is a food source that the local insects recognize. Some insects require specific plants -there are no substitutes. An example is monarchs will only lay eggs on native milkweed. They will not lay on any other plants. If they can’t find milkweed, then they can’t lay eggs and there will be no next generation of butterflies.

So how did we get here? How did we get to a place where we are being asked to plant native pollinator gardens?

It started over one hundred years ago with the influx of non-native ornamentals brought over from all over the world to the United States for the sole purpose of prettiness. Many of these plants are unrecognizable or even inedible to our native insects.

Fast forward to today, the insect population is in decline due to habitat destruction (development and use of non native plant species) and the use of pesticides (both commercial and backyard uses such as mosquito spraying). These insects are the base of our own food chain. They need our help. Even if it’s one backyard at a time.

All is not lost...

Even the smallest pollinator garden can help!

Start with an area in your yard that gets some sun and clear out the area, maybe take a small patch of lawn and remove the grass. Next, plant native plants. You can find native plants at your local nursery, a native plant society for your area, and at the National Wildlife Federations’ website. They have a section dedicated to creating a pollinator garden that includes a list of plants for your area. Remember to choose the straight species over cultivars. If the plant has a ‘name’ like “Red Rocket”, pass on it. It’s a cultivar, it may not be able to support local insects. If you can’t find natives, your local cooperative extension office has a master gardener helpline, you can call and ask them for help. Or visit this website from Cornell University, which has lists!

Finally, remember you want to support your bug biodiversity in your backyard. This means no pesticides, herbicides, mosquito treatments -even the natural ones. Use IPM, integrated pest management. This means choosing the least toxic option first and working up. Gardening is a balance. If your plants are getting a bit nibbled, that means there’s food for birds. And for other bugs. Give nature a chance to balance it all out before doing anything. First, try and encourage good insects, ones that eat bad bugs, to come and stay in your garden. Here’s one way -an earwig pot. Earwigs eat all sorts of pests. Planting trap crops can help too. An example is nasturtiums to attract aphids away from other plants. If still needed, start with plain water and spray the bugs off. If that doesn’t work, move up the line to insecticidal soap and neem oil. But follow directions exactly. Do this only if you have a severe, over 50%, infestation.

Whatever size you can do, a pollinator garden can be a beautiful and functional way to help the earth.

Pollinator gardens have been in the news these last few years. Most of the articles focus on monarch butterflies and planting milkweed to support them. But they can be so much more than this and can help so many more living things than just monarchs.

What is a pollinator garden and why have one?

On some level, it is simply a garden with plants that supports insects with food and shelter. On the larger level, pollinator gardens are part of the massive food web that is our environment. Everything is interconnected. While milkweed supplies food for the monarch caterpillars, the flowers attract wasps, bees, and flies.These insects in turn become food for birds and small mammals to feed their young. The birds and small mammals are part of the food chain for hawks and foxes. In the fall, the seeds become food for birds and small mammals, and the hollow stems and dead leaves become homes to solitary bees and beneficial bugs to overwinter in. A pollinator garden should not be ‘cleaned up’ until late spring, or you will be throwing out the bees, butterflies and moths that hibernate there. To help them even further, you can also add some man made homes for the bees and the butterflies. Remember to clean out the boxes every year in the spring, once it warms up, to avoid transmitting any disease from year to year.

A true pollinator garden is an integral part of your backyard environment, supporting insects and mammals. A pollinator garden supports your local environment.

This means it is a food source that the local insects recognize. Some insects require specific plants -there are no substitutes. An example is monarchs will only lay eggs on native milkweed. They will not lay on any other plants. If they can’t find milkweed, then they can’t lay eggs and there will be no next generation of butterflies.

So how did we get here? How did we get to a place where we are being asked to plant native pollinator gardens?

It started over one hundred years ago with the influx of non native ornamentals brought over from all over the world to the United States for the sole purpose of prettiness. Many of these plants are unrecognizable or even inedible to our native insects.

Fast forward to today, the insect population is in decline due to habitat destruction (development and use of non native plant species) and the use of pesticides (both commercial and backyard uses such as mosquito spraying). These insects are the base of our own food chain. They need our help. Even if it’s one backyard at a time.

All is not lost...

Even the smallest pollinator garden can help!

Start with an area in your yard that gets some sun and clear out the area, maybe take a small patch of lawn and remove the grass. Next, plant native plants. You can find native plants at your local nursery, a native plant society for your area, and at the National Wildlife Federations’ website. They have a section dedicated to creating a pollinator garden that includes a list of plants for your area. Remember to choose the straight species over cultivars. If the plant has a ‘name’ like “Red Rocket”, pass on it. It’s a cultivar, and maynot be able to support local insects. If you can’t find natives? If your local cooperative extension office has a master gardener helpline, you can call and ask them for help. Or visit this website from Cornell University, which has lists!

Finally, remember you want to support your bug biodiversity in your backyard. This means no pesticides, herbicides, mosquito treatments -even the natural ones. Use IPM, integrated pest management. This means choosing the least toxic option first and working up. Gardening is a balance. If your plants are getting a bit nibbled, that means there’s food for birds. And for other bugs. Give nature a chance to balance it all out before doing anything. First, try and encourage good insects, ones that eat bad bugs, to come and stay in your garden. Here’s one way -an earwig pot. Earwigs eat all sorts of pests. Planting trap crops can help too. An example is nasturtiums to attract aphids away from other plants. If still needed, start with plain water and spray the bugs off. If that doesn’t work, move up the line to insecticidal soap and neem oil. But follow directions exactly. Do this only if you have a severe, over 50%, infestation.

Whatever size you can do, a pollinator garden can be a beautiful and functional way to help the earth.