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Donna VanBuecken

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It’s Pollinator Week!

June 23, 2020

This week, June 22-28, 2020, is when we celebrate pollinators. This is the week we celebrate the special species in our lives – the bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles. It is a special time to pause, celebrate pollinators and focus on what we can do to help pollinators thrive in this world of global climate change and global warming.

Reprinted from my April 20, 2018 blog, here is Gardening for Pollinators.

Ecosystems

It all starts with ecosystems. The Earth is made up of naturally occurring geographical areas with similar climate, geology and soils. Typically, within each of these ecoregions, there are a number of ecological regions referred to as ecosystems made up of plants, animals, birds, butterflies, insects, organisms and the physical environment or habitat in which they live. Typically, all these elements in the ecosystem develop a mutually dependent relationship that becomes a Circle of Life.

Ecosystem
Ordway Prairie, Pope County, Minnesota. Photo by Peter Dziuk, Minnesota Wildflowers.

 

Pollination and the Circle of Life

Pollination is a very important element in the Circle of Life. Why? Because the Circle of Life starts with plants, and most plants depend upon pollination to reproduce.

  • Plants absorb sunlight energy through photosynthesis – solar power.
  • They use that energy to produce more plant material from water, carbon dioxide in the air, and nutrients from the soil.
  • In the process, they give off oxygen – thank goodness.
  • Herbivores (primary consumers) eat the plants and use the nutrients to produce more herbivores.
  • Predators (secondary consumers ) eat the herbivores and use the nutrients to produce more carnivores.
  • When death comes, a vast suite of soil organisms (bacteria and fungi) decompose the material, returning the nutrients to the soil.
  • This makes the nutrients available for plants to take up again, completing the Circle of Life.

Pollination is a reproductive process. Flowers offer food (nectar) to pollinators in exchange for reproduction. It occurs when pollen is transferred from the anther (male part of flower) to the stigma (female part of flower). And, it’s very important, because without pollination, we would not have vegetables and fruits to eat, and plants could not reproduce from season to season.

What Role Do Pollinators Play?

Although some pollen is dispersed by the wind, birds, butterflies, bees and other insects and animals are the main transporters of pollen between flowers, hence the term pollinators. They carry the pollen, which is a fine powdery dust found in the male part of the plant (anther) and contains the plant’s sperm, to the female part of the plant (stigma). Some pollinators have special structures by which they carry the pollen – like the native bees. Others, such as butterflies, bats and other insects carry the pollen from one flower to another when it affixes itself to their bodies, legs and wings.

Gardening for Pollinators

Flowers and pollinators co-evolved, developing features that make the exchange of pollen and nectar successful. To support native pollinators, we need to grow the native plants with which they evolved. Because they evolved together, native plants have the “right” features. Here are some examples.

A bee using its long tongue to collect nectar from this Virginia Bluebell. Photo by Joy Perry
Hummingbird exchanging pollen for nectar from this Cardinal Flower. Birds have great vision and are especially attracted to red. Photo by Larry Master masterimages.org
A syrphid fly using the landing platform offered by the Lanceleaf Coreopsis. Photo courtesy of NH Garden Solutions.
Pollen is carried away from this Sneezeweed in this native bumblebee’s pollen sac. Photo by Robert Carlson
Pollinators get nectar from dangling on outstretched tubular flowers like this native honeysuckle vine by lapping the sugars with their long tongues. Nectaries are located at the base of the tubes.
Skyblue Aster (Aster azureus) has the perfect landing platform for this native bumblebee. Photo by Robert Carlson.
Tiger Swallowtail on Cherry Tree. Native Prunus support 456 species of caterpillars. Photo by Doug Tallamy.
Zebra Swallowtail butterfly nectaring on Choke Cherry tree blossom. Native Prunus support 456 species of caterpillars. Photo by Doug Tallamy.
Butterflies, bees and moths smell with the tips of their legs, their antennae and their mouths and long curled tongues. Milkweed is an excellent plant for nectaring because its fragrant tubular flowers are suitable for long tongues and its blossoms provide a landing platform. Photo courtesy of St Louis Public Radio.

Native habitat is disappearing rapidly as fencerows are being destroyed for crop farming, and land is being developed for residential, commercial and manufacturing use.* It is important to support pollinators by growing native plants to provide nectar and pollen throughout the seasons, and to make sure host plants are included that provide food and shelter for larval development. It is also important to provide access to clean water and to create variable heights for shelter and nesting. Most importantly, use insecticides sparingly, if at all.

Last, tolerate a little mess – leave dead snags and leaf litter, keep some areas bare for ground-nesting insects, and tolerate non-noxious, non-invasive weeds that provide food and shelter for pollinators.

*According to Doug Tallamy in the film Hometown Habitat, only 5 percent of our land remains as native habitat. 42 percent is being used for crop framing, and 53 percent for development.

See also A Naturally Landscaped Yard and A Living Landscape Mimics Nature. Although focusing on birds, these yard designs are appropriate for pollinators as well.

For more on the Gardening for Pollinators, see Part 2, Pollination continued.

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Nature’s Best Hope

May 20, 2020

Introduction

I want to explain why it has been so long since I have written a blog post. The hospital was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and my therapy sessions were put on hold. Because my friends bought me an iPad, I was able to continue without a therapist. Recently, I have started therapy again at the Neuroscience Group with Nicole Shafran, along with the aid of the Google Duo video app.

Nicole said I could do my blog as part of my therapy, since it will be helpful to my recovery. I have Nicole for two days a week, and I think I will write a blog post about every other week.

The Blog

Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard

You have probably heard of the second book authored by Doug Tallamy. It would be too long for me to read it right now, but I hope you will read it. Here is a good review by Angela Tanner.

Angela explains, “In Nature’s Best Hope, Doug Tallamy takes topics from his popular book Bringing Nature Home (Workman Publishing, 2009) and expands upon them. He explains, with examples and statistics, what is happening to the ecological systems around us, and why we should care. This book is geared toward the private landowner – not one whose primary landscaping concern is how green their lawn is – but one who could also be convinced to be concerned about the alarming decline of birds, insects, and other wildlife.” Read more of the book review.

The NPCC Invites You to the “Nature’s Best Hope” Presentation

The Native Plant Conservation Campaign (NPCC) invites you to enjoy Doug Tallamy’s popular “Nature’s Best Hope” online presentation. Emily B. Roberson says, “Native plant gardens help local wildlife and support vital ecosystem services such as water purification, storm protection, and climate moderation. Tallamy has a new book and presentation, “Nature’s Best Hope,” which describe advances in our understanding of how individual homeowners can help fight the extinction and climate crises and save the planet…all by gardening with beautiful local natives!”

It is wonderful that we, as gardeners, place so much value on wildlife and the flowers we hold dear. Gardening makes me happy, and growing native plants makes me so very happy!

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Plants & Pollinators

April 13, 2020

Another bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) finds Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) a welcome treat.

Reference my blog Things We can do for Pollinators. This is a reference in a nutshell for pollinators — bats, hummingbirds, bees, butterflies and moths. Supply your garden with a buffet for pollinators. Choose the plants that are best for your site, and keep your garden buzzing and humming by serving only the best plants for pollinators.

Courtesy of the Prairie Nursery, please download our Plants & Pollinators Chart for a look at which plants serve which pollinators, and which are host plants for butterflies and moths. Plants are arranged seasonally to help you maximize pollinator support across the growing season.

Test Your Skills

From the Wisconsin Pollinators  – test your knowledge of botany vocabulary: Botany Vocabulary.

From the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – test your knowledge: Pollinator Partners.

From Wild Ones Twin Cities Chapter – a natural-landscaping crossword puzzle to download.

Gardening for Pollinators

For an in-depth look – from the ecosystems to the gardening to the pollinators — see the blog Gardening for Pollinators.

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Webinars for You

April 6, 2020

Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA)

Thank goodness for Virginia Waterfleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum), one of the first flowering plants to bloom in the spring.

Here is a note from the Ecological Landscape Alliance (ELA) along with information about some interesting webinars: “As people across the country and around the world adapt by the day to ongoing limitations on gathering with family and friends and to new restrictions on movements around favorite green spaces, ELA is offering a new webinar series, A Walk in the Garden, that we hope will provide our community with much needed respite. Even when we can’t enjoy our green spaces in person, we take solace knowing that they will still be there when we return.” (ELA)

Registration is required for each webinar — but they are free!

  • April 8, Noon ET Adventures with Oddities: Strange and Noteworthy Native Plants From unique flavors to hilarious names to the oddest survival strategies, there are strange and noteworthy plants right outside our back doors if we simply know where to look.
  • April 15, Noon ET Pollinator Ecology Explore the garden with a focus on the basics of pollination ecology and discover how to maximize food production by encouraging both native and exotic pollinators.
  • April 22, Noon ET Save the Pollinators! Save the Planet! Beyond providing refuge for six-legged friends under siege, found out how your garden can play a vital role in rebuilding the local ecosystem and creating climate resilience.
  • April 29, Noon ET Planting Design Considerations Explore the garden while thinking first about plants in terms of their form and function, and then learn some strategies to best lay out your planting plan.
  • May 6, Noon ET Art and Design Principles for Ecological Landscapes Ecological design is based on the same principles as landscape design, however, practitioners can become caught up in the arrangement of elements and materials and forget that the application of art and design principles are critical to evoke meaning, intent and order.
  • May 13, Noon ET  Tenacious Plants for Tough Places  Join Andi Pettis to explore some of the toughest plants growing in NYC urban parks both the cultivated species and some of the plants that grew wild, spontaneously and without any care or thought from human beings.
  • May 20, Noon ET  Spring Ephemerals Join Darrah Cole on a virtual walk along The Greenway in April and May to discover the surprising delights of spring ephemeral and bulbs.
  • May 27, Noon ET Mountain Top Arboretum – Timber Frame Education Center from Catskill Native Trees Join Marc Wolf for an inspiring visit to the Mountain Top Arboretum forest – from whence came the Arboretum’s new timber frame Education Center.

Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC)

Great Egrets (Ardea alba) fishing along Northland Creek in the Fox Valley, Outagamie County, Wisconsin.

And here is a note and a list of some more great seminars from the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC): Please use our free library of live webinars. These are some things you might find suitable.

  • April 9, 2020, 12 Noon – 1 PM CDT Top 10 Weird, But Cool, Animal Adaptations – A WHC Kid-Friendly Webinar Animals can be beautiful and fun to watch. They can also be weird and surprising! Join WHC staff on this webinar and learn about the cool tricks animals do to help them survive in the wild.
  • April 29, 2020, 12 Noon – 1 PM CDT STEM to STEAM Education: Using Art as a Gateway to Learning Explore how to develop impactful STEAM programs to influence the next generation of leaders.
  • June 17, 2020, 12 Noon – 1 PM CDT Beyond the Pollinator Garden: How to Make the Greatest Impacts for Bees and ButterfliesJoin our panel of experts from the Pollinator Partnership to learn about recent developments in pollinator conservation and how to effectively implement larger-scale projects.
  • September 9, 2020, 12 Noon – 1 PM CDT Getting Buy-In From the Top: How to Gain Approval for Conservation Projects Learn how to identify and communicate the concepts of corporate conservation and the company-wide benefits of such activities in order to get approval and secure funding for these efforts.
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Donna VanBuecken