Celebrating and Attracting Pollinators

Unfortunately, reports from the National Research Council say that the long-term population trends for some North American pollinators are “demonstrably downward”.

Ten years ago the U.S. Senate unanimously approved and designated “National Pollinator Week” to help raise awareness.  National Pollinator Week (June 19-25, 2017) is a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what you can do to protect them.  Habitat loss for pollinators due to human activity poses an immediate and frequently irreversible threat.  Other factors responsible for population decreases include: invasive plant species, broad-spectrum pesticide use, disease, and weather.

So what can you do?

• Install “houses” for birds, bats, and bees.
• Avoid toxic, synthetic pesticides and only apply bio-rational products when pollinators aren’t active.
• Provide and maintain small shallow containers of water for wildlife.
• Create a pollinator-friendly garden.
• Plant native plants that provide nectar for pollinating insects.

There’s a new app for the last two.

The Bee Smart® Pollinator Gardener is your comprehensive guide to selecting plants for pollinators based on the geographical and ecological attributes of your location (your eco-region) just by entering your zip code.  Filter your plants by what pollinators you want to attract, light and soil requirements, bloom color, and plant type.  This is an excellent plant reference to attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, beetles, bats, and other pollinators to the garden, farm, school and every landscape.
The University of Florida also provides a low-cost app for Florida-Friendly Plant Selection at: https://fyn.ifas.ufl.edu/plants or go on-line to create a list of these same plants at: http://www.floridayards.org/

Not only can you find out which plants attract pollinators, you will be given the correct growing conditions so you can choose ‘the right plant for the right place’.

Remember, one out of every three mouthfuls of food we eat is made possible by pollinators.