Did you know that bees, butterflies and other pollinators are important contributors to nearly a third of the foods we eat? Pollinators are also key players in creating clean air and water. We depend on these miraculous, tiny, winged superheroes!
This year, we have all you need to create a “Pollinator Picnic” in your own yard. Whether you are striving for more flavorful and higher yields in your veggie and fruit garden, or just enjoy watching the bees and butterflies flit through the garden, adding pollinator friendly plants to your garden is a win for you and our world!
Offering nectar rich plants for our local pollinators is just one part of a healthy habitat for these tiny, but mighty contributors to the garden. Bumblebee queens need a safe and warm spot to overwinter, and ornamental bunch grasses such as switchgrass (Panicum spp.) provide such a spot. Once the weather warms a bit, the queens will search for places to create their colony. Bumbles nest in the ground, and a brush pile, leaf litter piles or abandoned bunny burrows are ideal. Another early pollinator, mason bees are cavity nesters that will make a home in hollow stems of plants such as raspberries, hydrangeas and elderberries. Consider this your permission slip to procrastinate winter garden
clean up!
Bees aren’t the only important pollinators living in your garden. Butterfly larvae are emerging as very hungry caterpillars, and growing plants such as pussy willows will provide needed nutrition for these babies.
The pollinator garden is active all year long. Our friendly staff is here to help you get a pollinator garden party started!