Consider Planting Native this Year!

Dear AIG Observers,

Thank you all for your ongoing participation in Global Pollinator Watch! As the weather warms and winter subsides here in much of the Northern Hemisphere – we look forward to seeing your observations of the insect pollinators that you encounter in the natural spaces where you live, work, and recreate.

With the snow beginning to melt and the warmer weather approaching, in addition to making new observations of insect pollinators, we encourage you to consider how landscaping impacts pollinator health. As many people start to think about their yards and lawns, or even the window flowerboxes in their apartments – planting species native to your local ecoregion can go a long way to support pollinators. Planting native, pollinator-friendly plants can both increase pollinator activity and support healthy pollinator populations – ensuring that local pollinator species are able to carry out their critical services effectively. While pollinators, by definition, visit flowers, many species of pollinators- particularly the larval stages of butterflies and moths (caterpillars)- rely on very specific host plants that may have nothing to do with the flowers they will visit as adults. Thinking about all the life stages for pollinators is an important step in managing your natural spaces for healthy pollinator communities.

Check out this Ecoregion Planting Guide created by Pollinator Partnership, to find the plant species native to where you live: https://www.pollinator.org/guides#about

For those of you with a lawn, another important step you can take to create a pollinator-friendly habitat is to avoid the use of pesticides. By eliminating the use of herbicides and insecticides in your lawn or garden – you are taking an active step to prevent the loss of vital pollinator species.

Learn more about six ways that you can support pollinators here: https://earthwatch.org/stories/sixt-ways-support-pollinators

Thank you!
The Global Pollinator Watch Team

Posted on 23 de março de 2023, 02:59 PM by apins