The past month my garden has exploded with blooms and pollinators! Some pictures I took last week show a zebra swallowtail on my blazing star (liatris spicata) a fritillary enjoying purple coneflower (echinacea purpurea) and a skipper on the common milkweed (asclepius syriaca). This year a national pollinator week was declared in June. I'm increasingly appreciative of how vital pollinators are to my garden, our food system, and our environment. While you are enjoying the blooms in your garden, take note of the flies, bees and wasps, and butterflies and moths that visit. There are a few things we can all do to help pollinators:
Plant native plants in clusters to create a "target' for pollinators to find. Plant for continuous bloom throughout the growing season.
Select a site that is removed from wind, has at least partial sun, and can provide water.
Allow material from dead branches and logs to remain as nesting sites; allow patches of bare ground for ground-nesting bees to utilize; consider installing wood nesting blocks for wood-nesting natives.
Change your outdoor lightbulbs to yellow hues to attract fewer moths.
Enjoy your garden this month, you know the pollinators are!
Comments