TRANSFORMING THE LANDSCAPE

The power of wild habitats to save pollinators on the brink – one native plant at a time.

By Abbie Lahmers

Before the Palmieri Pollinator Garden was a flourishing, buzzing haven of insects, with queen bumble bees resting under leaf cover in the winter and a fragrant tunnel of spicebush blossoms opening to butterflies in the spring; before a snapping turtle trudged up the hill to lay eggs there and the vibrant purple hyssop blooms became a trademark of summer, there were volunteers putting plants in the ground.

This is a simple yet crucial first step toward establishing pollinator habitats that Katie Schortmann, Audubon Pollinator Outreach Coordinator, doesn’t take for granted: getting plants in the ground – but not just any. The garden was started by former Audubon Board Members Terry Meyer and Nick Califano and designed by renowned landscape architect John Gwynne in 2018, incorporating trees from an existing apple orchard and adding a variety of pollinator-friendly native perennials, all maintained without pesticides. “Its primary function is to be a habitat,” says Schortmann, “but it’s also a classroom, and it’s a beautiful garden to inspire people to create a habitat at home.”

To Bee or Not to Bee

Many are familiar with the plight of the bees, but the poster child spurring the movement to save them is often the honeybee, an introduced species. Schortmann recalls fielding the question, “This isn’t a farm, so why do you have a pollinator garden?” “It made me realize that there’s a fundamental misunderstanding about the fact that we’re not trying to save honeybees here,” says Schortmann. “Honeybees are important, and we depend on them for a lot of food in this country, but as a conservation organization, Audubon is focused first on the wild plants and wild pollinators.”

Scott Ruhren, Senior Director of Conservation, echoes this distinction. “There are thousands of other bees and pollinators beyond honeybees,” he says. Over 40 percent of these critical pollinating species are facing the threat of extinction. “From an economic standpoint, which humans tend to think about most, pollinator decline is affecting production of a lot of our fruits, nuts, and commercial crops, like blueberries and cranberries.”

From a broader ecosystem perspective, the intertwined nature of certain native plant and insect species that have evolved together means one can’t survive without the other. Ruhren cites some orchids that can only be pollinated by specialized bees, and if either is lost, he says, “the relationship ends, and the orchid may cease to produce seeds.”

Invasive or introduced species of plants are often not beneficial to native insects. The monarch butterfly, for example, can only use milkweed to reproduce, a concept many gardeners have embraced. However, Ruhren offers a cautionary tale about selecting just any kind of milkweed. “If it’s an introduced species or cultivar, monarch caterpillars will not be able to develop fully. It’s a sad story –the female monarch lays an egg, but the larvae cannot finish their development and dies. It must be the right species of milkweed, such as common milkweed or butterfly weed, also known as monarch milkweed.”

Without trees acting as host plants, you lose the floral resources for adult pollinators and the hundreds of caterpillars that would have foraged on the tree's leaves. Caterpillars are the primary food source for baby songbirds. Without our native trees and pollinators, you’d have ecosystem collapse. That cannot be understated.

– Katie SchortmannAudubon Pollinator Outreach Coordinator

Come spring, trees will be among the first to erupt with tiny buds – abundant floral resources that attract wild pollinators. Oak and maple trees are host plants to over 500 species of moth and butterfly species that depend on them for their life cycle, and then those trees yield harvests of nuts, fruit, and seeds for birds and rodents. “It’s a cascading effect,” notes Schortmann, stressing the importance of stewarding trees in cities and towns. “Without trees acting as host plants, you lose the floral resources for adult pollinators and the hundreds of caterpillars that would have foraged on the tree's leaves. Caterpillars are the primary food source for baby songbirds. Without our native trees and pollinators, you’d have ecosystem collapse. That cannot be understated.”

Pesticides – namely neonicotinoids, which target insects’ nervous systems and prevent bees from being able to find their way back home when foraging – are having a devastating impact on pollinator populations. Deforestation, climate change, and pathogens are all threats that insects face. It’s a widespread crisis that’s invisible to many outside of the conservation sphere. “If you don’t have a relationship with something and you can’t name it, or don’t care about it, then you’re not going to notice if it’s gone,” says Schortmann, which is why Audubon initiatives seek to forge those connections.

Sowing Seeds of Resilience

At the Maxwell Mays Wildlife Refuge in Coventry, four native wildflower species were carefully chosen to grow in a protected plot: blue-stemmed goldenrod, pale beardtongue, red columbine, and flax-leaved aster. The RI Wild Plant Society (RIWPS) founded the ReSeeding RI initiative to establish foundation plots on sites across the state, growing and harvesting the seeds of wild-derived ecotypic plants. Ecotypic plants are historically local native species that retain the genetic material needed to be resilient in our region’s climate and extreme weather conditions.

In collaboration with Audubon and other partner organizations, these plots are increasing ecotypic seed sources.

“The goal is to have them produce seeds for further propagation and to use the plants to improve pollinator habitats around the region,” says Ruhren. Audubon staff helped plant 756 native wildflower seedlings at Maxwell Mays, and this year RIWPS will visit the garden to collect seeds, which will be available for purchase through the Northeast Seed Collective.

“In the past we've worked with the Veterans Home in Bristol to grow our own native plants from seed, and we now have a small greenhouse on site at the Nature Center and Aquarium where we will continue that effort,” adds Schortmann.

Outside of sourcing from a seed bank like Northeast Seed Collective, buying native plants isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. “Some garden centers might list something as native, but it may actually be a cultivar, which are selectively bred to look extra showy but may not have the genetic material or structures of the native,” says Ruhren. More and more mail-order sources like Northeast Seed Collective are available, and nurseries are getting better at stocking natives approved for the ecoregion by the National Wildlife Federation. A little research goes a long way.

Audubon’s wildlife refuge system features plots where native plants are thriving, some with signage to educate visitors, and pesticides are never used on any Audubon properties. The organization uses land management strategies such as not mowing during peak pollinator seasons, mowing around native plants like milkweed, and “leaving the leaves” – an adage encouraging people to not rake up leaves at the end of the growing season, which provide crucial shelter to insects during the winter – all with positive results.

“A lot of people feel overwhelmed by the idea of changing their yards and landscaping to natives. They wonder where to start and if their efforts can really make a difference,” Ruhren notes, “but research has shown that small backyard plots, even a little patio in downtown Providence, can help pollinators and birds. These little 'pocket parks' and small gardens with native plants do a lot of good.”

A Native Plant Corridor

The Palmieri Pollinator Garden – with its thoughtfully placed seating, an accessible herb garden bed built by middle school students, and unfettered growth – demonstrates how seamlessly wild and human habitats can coexist, hosting both ecological activity and lively programming.

“It’s served so many functions over the years,” says Schortmann, noting weddings and memorials, research projects, butterfly and bee surveys, photoshoots and poetry readings. Children have scoured the habitat during Easter egg hunts and learned about its value at summer camps and school programs like Audubon’s “Habitat Investigations.” Artists siphon inspiration from its natural beauty while casual visitors, wandering off the East Bay Bike Path or taking a breather from a summer day in downtown Bristol, enjoy its respite.

For some, a visit to the garden may be enough to spark the desire to use their own outdoor spaces to install flourishing habitats. There is educational signage scattered throughout, encouraging visitors to explore details of the garden and consider the importance of pollinator habitat. “I really do believe that people want to do what is best for pollinators,” says Schortmann, “but conventional gardening habits are hard to break. Convincing property owners to make these changes is a challenge. We have a moral responsibility to take care of the land and its surrounding ecosystem.”

On April 26, Audubon will host its second Transforming the Landscape symposium, assembling knowledgeable speakers who will be sharing ways to build a sustainable community and support native pollinators by creating healthy habitats at home. Master gardeners and scientists will speak about pollinator research, prioritizing and propagating native plants, and the benefits of shrinking lawns to make room for healthy habitats. Schortmann explains that the concept of a perfect, pristine lawn so many Americans cling to dates to 17th century Europe, when the labor-intensive enterprise was a symbol of wealth and status. Functionally, lawns are food deserts to wildlife. One of Audubon’s goals is to shift property owner perceptions of manicured, traditional lawns and educate on the benefits of rewilding properties. Healthier landscapes benefit wildlife – and all of us.

By constructing a home or community garden of 70 percent native plants without pesticide use, Schortmann expresses, “you’re doing a world of good.” This is the vision of the Audubon Pollinator Alliance, a garden registration website where gardeners are required to take a pesticide-free pledge. The Alliance webpage connects data points on the native gardens already in situ around Rhode Island. “The goal is to create a corridor of habitat across the state,” she explains.

Research has shown that small backyard plots, even a little patio in downtown Providence, can help pollinators and birds. These little 'pocket parks' and small gardens with native plants do a lot of good.

– Scott RuhrenSenior Director of Conservation

The breadth of the alliance has grown, with a focus this year on turning it into a community collective. Using information about what’s already out there, Schortmann and her team can identify neighborhoods that may be interested in making a concerted effort to install pollinator plots at a library or public space, and offer a support system, whether it’s connecting them with resources or devising a science-informed maintenance routine.

Audubon has already seen success with this community approach to outreach. “It’s kind of like we are the worker bees,” says Schortmann. Organizations like Audubon, the RI Wild Plant Society, the URI Cooperative Extension, and Native Plant Trust are the hives of knowledge (and sometimes literal seeds). “Concerned individuals who want to make a difference come to us for information, then bring it back out into the world. They’re the ones getting the plants in the ground in our communities, making more habitats, educating and encouraging their neighbors.”

Audubon garden volunteers Ann Brouillette and Cindy Pierce, who are also on the Barrington Land Trust, helped to start the Barrington Pollinator Pathway, and last year hosted an opengarden tour inviting participants to visit and ask questions, generating buzz about the project. Their efforts have culminated with the Resilience Garden at Barrington Government Center.

Other garden volunteers initiated a native garden at the Warren Post Office, and Audubon TerraCorps Service Member Autumn Jencks is working to install a pollinator meadow at the South Side Boys and Girls Club this spring.

“We are working on a pilot program along the Blackstone River Corridor to support communities in switching to more insectfriendly practices,” says Schortmann. “We want to educate people about the best practices for pollinators in their lawn and garden maintenance.”

Live and Let Grow

Pollinator Alliance registrants can purchase a sign to place in their garden explaining the intent behind their patch of greenery, encouraging skeptical neighbors to ask questions rather than jumping to conclusions. When passionate native plant gardeners seek Schortmann’s advice for convincing neighbors to see the light, she says, “I always suggest gifting them one plant of mountain mint and have them watch it for a season.” After the butterflies and bees swarm its tiny blooms, the plant goes to seed, which the birds flock to, and then in the winter you may see tiny spiders on its stems. “They will see the impact of a single native plant.”

For Audubon Board Member Carol Lynn Trocki, it began with her Little Compton lawn teeming with insects seven years ago. “I remember when I first moved in, it was July, and the yard had not been cut. A thousand grasshoppers moved in the tall grass, and I couldn't bring myself to take a blade to them,” she says. “The next year, it was filled with evening primrose and bird's-foot trefoil –so much bright happy yellow in an otherwise sad and grief-filled period in my life.”

Trocki’s path to rewilding came organically. As a conservation biologist and bird lover, she was intentional from the start about reducing harm, about not wanting to use fossil fuels or pesticides, but still faced the internal struggle that comes with rejecting the status quo and letting her yard succumb to an undoing before nature took it over. In the aftermath of losing her father and her beloved dog, she considered, “What happens if I just let life happen?”

The transformation, which Trocki has been relatively handsoff in shaping, has welcomed, by her tally, visits from 75 species of birds and many insects, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Today, she has three sheep who keep the grass shorn, Downy Woodpeckers whose antics amuse guests when she’s entertaining outside, and neighbors who accept her as a friendly and committed environmentalist. She removes invasive species by hand but otherwise lets the protected woodland that surrounds her patch of space spill over into it. “It does bring me a lot of joy.”

Schortmann cites a similar sense of satisfaction from seeing the Palmieri Pollinator Garden mature. “As an Audubon staff member, as a gardener, as a human being, it’s evident to me that when nature is respected, it responds with abundance. When we take care of native plants, they take care of the entire ecosystem.”

Abbie Lahmers is the managing editor of Hey Rhody Media Co., as well as a freelance fiction editor/proofreader and nature writer who enjoys hiking and camping around New England. She can be reached at amlahmers@gmail.com.