Pollinator-Friendly Yards Gardening for Wildlife with Native Plants by Betsy S. Franz
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or some people, perfectly mowed lawns without a trace of a weed or an insect makes them proud, but they may not realize that this method of gardening and landscaping could be harming the local ecosystem and the important pollinators that we rely on to keep food and flowers reproducing. Pollinators are the creatures that move pollen grains from the male anther of one plant to the female stigma of another, thereby
helping plants to produce seeds for the next generation. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, these hard-working animals pollinate more than 75 percent of the world’s flowering plants and nearly 75 percent of our crops, including chocolate and coffee. Without pollinators, say biologists, neither the human race nor the Earth’s ecosystems would survive. Like many species, some pollinators are showing steady population declines, attributed in part to habitat loss and exposure to pesticides. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that grassy lawns occupy almost 2 percent of the total U.S. land mass, making grass the single largest irrigated crop in the country, which is why the way that people garden and maintain their landscapes can either harm or help pollinators. Many people spending more time at home last year due to the pandemic did more gardening and maintaining of their own landscapes, often without realizing the significance and impact of their activities. “Now, for the first time in its history, gardening has taken on a role that transcends the needs of the gardener. Like it or not, gardeners have become important players in the management of our nation’s wildlife,” writes Douglas Tallamy, an
Learn More About Pollinators Ecoregional Planting Guides: Pollinator.org/guides Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Lists: Xerces.org/ pollinator-conservation/pollinator-friendly-plant-lists anna hoychuk/AdobeStock.com
Lawn to Wildflowers App: LawnToWildflowers.org/download
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Native Plant Societies: ahsGardening.org/gardening-resources/societies-clubs-organizations/native-plant-societies Chicago
NAChicago.com
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