Plant for Pollinators

       Plant to benefit pollinators. Why? Because according to the Vermont Community Garden Network "More than three-quarters of the world's food crops benefit from animal pollination - the bees and other creatures whose help we need to produce many of the foods we eat." Unfortunately, both honeybees and many species of native bees are in trouble. Populations of both are in sharp decline due to pesticide use, disease and parasite problems, and loss of food and nesting habitat. Many kinds of butterflies and other wild pollinators are also in jeopardy. Insects are the foundation of the food chain.

     An NYT article "The Insect Apocalypse is Here" states, "What we're losing is not just the diversity part of biodiversity, but the bio part: life in sheer quantity." Bryan Pfeiffer in the "Extinction of Meaning" writes, "What worries me, is that in the end, I suspect few among us will mourn the passing of a butterfly." 

     This is why it’s so important to learn about and do all we can to protect all kinds of pollinators. Moreover, it is important to understand that pollinators need native plants.

     Why native plants? Douglas Tallamy author of Bringing Nature Home advises, the native pollinators of your area have a long evolutionary history tied closely with the native plants of your region and, understandably, have a preference for what they are used to, in some cases, they simply won't visit or can't digest most newcomer [Non-Native] or exotic plants. 

     The Audubon Society team's research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, found only one distinction that determines if a spot is a boom or a bust for a bird population: whether it has plants native to the area. Nesting birds need insects to feed their chicks. Is your yard more of a 'food desert' or delectable buffet for birds? 

     Why (native plants) here in your hometown, in your yard? Because you want to protect the place where you live.  In our own backyards, native pollinator populations are dropping. Because you want to maintain the biodiversity of our homeland - our local butterflies, bees, birds, and other local creatures as well as native flowers - that identify our home as a unique place in the world - as our home.


     By choosing native plants - which do not require any artificial fertilizers, synthetic chemical pesticides, or herbicides - for your landscape, you create a healthier place for yourself, your family, your community. We can help maintain a sense of place (belonging and familiarity) by growing plants that are native to our area. 

• Plant a garden using Native flowering plants: 
• Choose a variety of colors and shapes that will attract a variety of pollinators.
• Choose plants that flower at different times providing nectar and pollen sources throughout the growing season. 
• Plant in clumps rather than single plants to better attract pollinators.

     Entomologist Douglas Tallamy writes if we use plants that evolved with our local animal communities as the foundation of our landscapes, we may be able to save much of our biodiversity from extinction.  

See the Community Center in Jericho Native Plant Sale here


Bernie  

Connecting Community with Nature