Save the Pollinators - Plant Flowers

Here's a disturbing report, and we thank Robert and Michael for alerting us.  Populations of birds, bees and bats have demonstrably declined in North America and Europe.  The cause?  Loss of habitat and the use of herbicides and pesticides, the usual culprits.  And a new one - global warming causing plants to flower earlier in the season, throwing off the process of pollination. 

What can we do to help?  Plant flowers, of course.  But can we do something about the loss of habitat?  We're losing 3,000-4,000 acres a day in this country, ya know, and we're not getting it back.  Maybe there's hope in the 240 anti-sprawl initiatives now under way across the U.S.

Meanwhile, check out Monarch Watch and join the backyard and community habitat movement over at the National Wildlife Federation.

Comments

[JLB]

Thanks for sharing the report. Off to plant more flowers....

[firefly]

Also (good news for lazy gardeners like me) don't be too clean in the garden. Many insects (especially bees) overwinter in dead vegetation.

A week or so ago I watched a small bee investigating the hollow end of a bamboo stake and within a few minutes it had crawled in.

I checked back a couple of days later, and it was still there.

[JLB]

Great point Firefly! Bits of wood and dead plant material are so important all year... Butterflies need logs to hide under in the rain, and I'm sure they aren't the only ones!

[Gloria]

Being a boomer comes with so much baggage,even the garden must serve a noble purpose. So I have been a habitat gardener for years. It's addictive this taking a stance.

Being an urban gardener pollinators seemed likely to be the majority of visitors and there is room for the flowers, water and shelter they need to persist.

For more information...
the EPA has been on this problem for awhile.
http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/PESP/strategies/2006/nappc06.htm

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
http://www.xerces.org/home.htm

And a great book...

The Forgotten Pollinators
Stephen L. Buchmann

[Robert and Michael]

Stephen ( I am the source of this posting)-- I work for the EPA -- and I had no clue our Agency had this on our radar - and something on our website! Not surprising considering the leadership of our country for the last 6 years that dictates the course of our Agency!
Thanks for letting us know, I will be sharing this with my fellow Gardeners in the Region 1 Boston office and trying to help with this issue in our Agency and learning more about how we can help.
Robert

[Robert and Michael]

oops, I meant Gloria sorry about that!