Celebrate National Pollinator week, June 17-23, by planting a pollinator garden!
Why we need pollinators? Somewhere between 75% and 95% of all flowering plants on the earth need help with pollination – they need pollinators. Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1200 crops. That means that 1 out of every three bites of food you eat is there because of pollinators.
Pollinators add 217 billion dollars to the global economy and honey bees alone are responsible for between 1.2 and 5.4 billion dollars in agricultural productivity in the United States. In addition to the food that we eat, pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, protect from severe weather, and support other wildlife.
Tips for creating a pollinator garden:
- Plants that provide nectar and pollen sources – flowers
- Provide a water source
- Situate the garden in sunny areas with wind breaks
- Create large “pollinator targets” of native or non-invasive plants
- Establish continuous bloom throughout the growing season
- Eliminate or minimize the impact of pesticides
Once you have established your pollinator garden, be sure to register it at: pollinator.org/mpgcmap/register
Article by Jane Villa-Lobos