Here’s How Gardeners Can Help Protect Pollinators in Michigan
Save the bees!
Wasn't it Einstein who essentially said, "If the bees die, we die"?
Now that spring has officially sprung you're probably just as eager as I am to start propagating and planting. On any given day you can probably find me down at my local home and garden store.
But have you decided what you're planting yet? Myself and fellow Michigan conservationists are asking you for just one favor this season:
Please think of the pollinators!
What Are Pollinators?
When we think of pollinators bees are typically the first thing that comes to mind, but in Michigan hummingbirds, moths, and flies all help to pollinate plants across the Great Lakes State, as well as other animals like bats are imperative to the pollination process.
In fact, many of the crops we depend on and eat daily rely on pollinators to fertilize them. According to MDOT, 30% of all crop production and 90% of wild plants rely on pollinators for reproduction. In Michigan, most of our fruits and vegetables rely on honeybees to pollinate them.
Where Are the Bees?
Unfortunately, there has been a rapid decline in pollinator populations over the years due to declining habitats and other factors like pesticides, climate change, and parasites. That's why places like Ypsilanti have become a designated "Bee City" and communities in Ann Arbor are participating in "No Mow May" in an effort to conserve the pollinator population!
How to Help:
It's actually really simple: grow more flowers! According to experts at Michigan State University,
The best pollinator gardens contain a diverse range of flowering plants. Just like us, pollinators need a varied diet to be healthy...Another trait of a great pollinator garden is overlapping bloom throughout the season, otherwise pollinators can have difficulty finding food at all times of the growing season.
In addition to diverse gardens pollinators also need safe nesting spaces, which is why the City of Grand Rapids is urging residents to avoid major landscaping projects until temperatures are consistently above 50° writing,
Keep our native pollinators safe and hold off on bagging or burning any leaves or sticks. By waiting until temperatures are consistently in the 50s during the day (usually May in GR) those bees and butterflies have the time they need to safely emerge from their hibernation.
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