One Way You Can Help Pollinators
Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation has played a significant role in the decline of wildlife populations across our country. Did you know that it is estimated that about 2 million acres, or roughly the size of Yellowstone National Park, is converted to urban/suburban habitat each year? It’s not just loss of land to suburban neighborhoods and shopping centers, it is also the loss of land to roadways. Suburbs and roadways are replacing native vegetation making it harder for pollinators to find the food and the nesting sites they need to survive. More and more meadows and prairies are becoming fragmented making it difficult for them to find suitable habitat. This is especially troubling for migratory pollinators like monarchs since smaller, weaker migratory pollinators die along the way because the distance between suitable habitats is too great. Fragmentation acts as a barrier to movement. Any pollinators that can’t find quality food within their flight range will not survive. By planting native plants, shrubs, and trees in your yard you are helping to increase habitat connectivity, making it easier for pollinators to move across the landscape and find the quality food they need to survive. This also increases their interactions with different populations which then helps increase their genetic diversity. Pollinators in turn foster thriving plant communities that then lead to healthier soil and cleaner water.
Brown-belted Bumble Bee enjoying Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
A few years ago, I discovered the importance of native plants and since then I have been adding them to my landscape and slowly replacing my non-natives with more native plants and shrubs. The increase in biodiversity in my yard has been incredible and watching the wildlife benefit from my hard work has been the most rewarding part of it all.
Female Monarch on my swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius)
Native pollinator gardens perform many duties in addition to supporting pollinators! Here are a few of the benefits they provide:
They are natural filters. They enhance stormwater runoff by trapping, absorbing, and filtering pollutants; and then they slowly allow clean water to soak back into the ground.
Besides helping to purify groundwater, they also help purify the air by capturing and storing carbon dioxide, thus improving air quality, and helping to reduce greenhouse gas levels.
They absorb heat, thus reducing the heat island effect.
They sustain biodiversity in urban settings by providing habitat for wildlife. These habitats provide shelter, food and water, and places for wildlife to raise their young.
Dr. Doug Tallamy has shown that native oak trees support over 500 species of caterpillars, black cherry and American plum host 450 caterpillars, and native maples host 285 caterpillars whereas ginkgos, a commonly planted landscape tree from Asia, host only 5 species of caterpillars, crape myrtles host 3 species of caterpillars, and the Bradford or Callery Pear hosts 0 caterpillars. Did you know it takes over 6,000 caterpillars to raise one brood of chickadees? That is a huge difference! Baby birds can’t eat seeds or berry, they need insects, and their favorite food is caterpillars.
Every native garden, no matter how big or small, will benefit pollinators! In an era where pollinators are facing many environmental challenges, just creating a small native plant pollinator garden is an impactful way to support pollinators. Your small garden can become part of a large network of pollinator friendly gardens across the country, helping to contribute to the survival of these important species. You can even add your native garden to the map on Homegrown National Park!
I highly recommend reading Doug Tallamy’s books if you haven’t had the chance yet.
Bringing Nature Home
Nature’s Best Hope
The Nature of Oaks
