More than Pretty Creatures
Pollinators go through many stages of life and need habitat that supports them throughout the year. It’s easy to get focused on the loveliness of a butterfly alighting on a butterfly bush blossom or sipping nectar from a butterfly weed flower, but there is less glamorous, behind-the-scenes work to be done as well. Here’s how.
Biodiversity & Biodensity
We all benefit from it! Diversity and density of plants and blooms throughout the season, especially covering sparse times like early season and late season are essential.Think bulbs in early spring and asters and chamisa/rabbitbrush late season. And I just had the pleasure of offering up some fall blooming crocus on the pollinator fall menu; they surprised me, being so late; even the asters and chamisa had gone to seed by they time they donned their big flower.
When you plant flowering perennials, remember to arrange them in large swaths This method serves to readily attract pollinators and make their travel from flower to flower more efficient, allowing them to conserve energy.
Habitat
There are a lot of great reasons to use mulch in our landscaped areas, but heres a reason not to. Providing areas of bare soil without mulch supports ground-nesting bees. There are about 950 species of bees in Colorado (!) and it is estimated that about 70% of those are ground-nesting.
Leaving debris in your garden over the winter, like leaves and stems from perennial flowers, provides shelter for overwintering insects.
Incorporating shrubs into our perennial beds provides structure which is nice for aesthetics, especially during the winter, while also providing natural windbreaks where the pollinators can take refuge on a windy day.
Go Organic
Does it go without saying yet to avoid pesticide and chemical use? If not, I hope that day isn’t far away. Chemicals provide short-term solutions to issues generally considered nuisances, but do not serve the greater ecology over the long term and should be avoided. There are many organic methods that are effective and help us support and work with nature. One simple example is to grow plants that attract birds which then naturally provide insect control as they find critters to eat. Nature has it figured out! We just need to figure out how to mimic and rebuild it in our landscapes.
Nurture Nature. Nurture Yourself.
To the Glory of the Garden,
President, Columbine Landscapes
