A well-designed pollinator garden will help beneficial insects and other fascinating wildlife thrive.
Gabriela Herman
Traditional yards with pristine lawns and few plants act as ecological deserts.
However, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Credit:Gabriela Herman
Installing a pollinator garden is one effective way to make your yard better for wildlife.
In return, pollinators boost the health and productivity of our gardens.
Pollinator gardens should provide food, shelter, and safety.
Credit:Anne Readel
Here are some tips for providing these essentials in your yard.
Plant native plants.
Because of this, they end up supporting a greater diversity and abundance of insects than non-native plants.
), but actually aren’t as beneficial as natives.
Its also helpful to know about the life cycles of the pollinators youre trying to attract.
To avoid this, embrace thatyour native plantsmay look and act a little different from what youre used to.
Allow your lawn to flower.
Common lawn flowers, such as clover anddandelions, can also provide food for hungry pollinators.
To allow your lawn to flower, simply mow less frequently and keep your grass longer.
If you want to take things a step further, install abee lawn.
Provide Shelter for Pollinators
Pollinators neednesting sitesand places to ride out the winter.
you’re free to incorporate these features into your pollinator garden in several ways.
Create soft landings.
Incorporating “soft landings” into your landscape is particularly important for butterflies and moths, says Carpenter.
Moth and butterfly larvae often feed on native tree leaves.
Leave the leaves.
The leaves then provide important overwintering habitat for pollinators.
Rethink spring cleanup.
While its tempting to start tidying your yard early each spring, its harmful to overwintering pollinators.
These insects require warm temperatures before emerging from hibernation.
Build brush piles.
Brush piles can be added to inconspicuous corners of your backyard, where theyre out of sight.
Carpenter has also seen people create artistic haystack-jot down brush arrangements in their front yard.
Leave some bare soil.
Leaving bare soil is also an important but often overlooked aspect of pollinator gardening.
To do this, they need access to undisturbed soil.
So dont be afraid to leave some areas free of plants, grass, and mulch.
Many pesticides andherbicides harm pollinators, so it’s best to avoid using them.
Instead, they may end up killing the very pollinators youre trying to help.
These chemicals may also be harmful to pets and people, so steer clear, she warns.
Start small.
But we don’t have to do it all at once.
Start small when making your yard more pollinator-friendly.
Know your communitys rules.
Some municipalities and homeowners associations have rules about what you’re free to do with your yard.
verify you know your communitys rules before you jump in installing a pollinator garden.
Educate your neighbors.
There are more gardeners today that want toprovide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife, says Shepherd.
However, the concept is still new to many people.
