June is National Pollinator Month -Pollinator Week is June 17-23

Monarch butterfly feeding on Solidago, Goldenrod, as it migrates through Maine.

 It's National Pollinator Month! We've learned so much about pollinators. We are as dependent on them as they are on us. We realize that one of every three bites of food we have is a result of the pollination of vegetables and fruits.  

How do we decide what to grow for our pollinators? 

Provide diverse plantings that bloom throughout the growing season. consider plants like Clethra and  Echinacea (coneflowers) for the summer and Solidago (goldenrod) for the fall. 

Clethra attracted swarms of Swallowtails to my garden

 

Think Native Plants. We have gotten better about promoting native plants that adapt to local climate and soil, attract wildlife, and are beneficial to native pollinators. Use Rudbeckia, Black-eyed Susan's, Maryland's state flower for summer plants. I love Mertensia virginica, Virginia Bluebells, for early spring, and Eutrochium purpureum, Joe-Pye weed for a fall native perennial. 

Lobelia cardinalis growing in shade 

Swallowtail and Bumblebee share the wealth provided by Joe-Pye weed

It's ok to plant annuals. Lantana, Salvia, Cuphea, Zinnia, and scores of other annuals provide nectar all summer for pollinators that we might attract to our vegetable gardens. Herbs are important too. I plant several 'sacrificial' parsley plants every year to feed Swallowtail butterflies. 

Hummingbird taking a break atop a dahlia

Avoid pesticides to protect pollinators. If an unwanted plant has become a major issue, consider removing it manually. For things like poison ivy, cut the plant back and treat the cut-end with Stump and Vine Killer, which works without having to spray a pesticide. I use the same practice to eradicate Tree of Heaven, the invasive host plant for Spotted Lantern Flies. 

Tree of Heaven Photo from University of MD Extension

Paint the cut of the unwanted plant for control. Use for Poison Ivy, English Ivy, Tree of Heaven. 

Provide water. In birdbaths, leave a stone in the bath to allow for perching. Fill shallow saucers with sand and water for butterflies. Put in a small pond to attract frogs and dragonflies. Your yard's diversity creates diversity in the pollinators you attract. Do be careful of standing water as we don't want to attract mosquitos. I add Mosquito Dunks to birdbaths and shallow pools to prevent them. The Dunks do not harm other wildlife. 

Provide shelter from predators in the form of small trees, perennial beds, hedgerows along fence lines and vines growing on vertical structures.

Don't keep the garden too tidy. This is my favorite tip. I've noticed bees in old firewood, and woodpeckers in dead trees.  Some bare ground will provide habitat for soil-aerating ground-nesting bees. Pollinators like weeds too.

The University of Maryland Extension provides more excellent information on the subject.

Visit us during June for an extensive choice of Plants for Pollinators!