A beautiful bee takes advantage of the native wildflowers. (National Wildlife Federation / Jonathan Lavan)
Whenever you see a butterfly flit through your backyard or a bee buzz about, stop and pat yourself on the back. Your garden is helping sustain the world’s pollinators. And that’s a big thing.
It turns out that pollinators—bees, butterflies, birds and bats—are responsible for one out of three bites of the food we eat. According to Cornell University, pollinators contribute a whopping $29 billion to America’s food production.
In order to help sustain our nation’s food supply, National Pollinator Garden Network was formed to inspire home gardeners and organizations to create more pollinator habitats. By this year’s National Pollinator Week, June 18-24, the organization is aiming to register one million bee-friendly gardens.
To date, 700,000 private and public gardens have been signed up all across the U.S. See where the pollinator gardens are located, including in your “neck of the woods,” at this link.
The National Pollinator Garden Network features a partnership between 50 organizations, associations and government agencies, including Pollinator Partnership, National Wildlife Federation, AmericanHort, KidsGardening.org, National Gardening Association, American Public Gardens Association, the National Garden Bureau, American Seed Trade Association and the National Park Service.
If you’re thinking that your garden couldn’t possibly make all that much of a difference for our nation’s food supply, think again, says one of the founders of the network, Mary Phillips, senior director at the National Wildlife Federation.
“The nation’s love of pollinators is paying off,” says Phillips. “Recent research shows that even small gardens can make a big difference for pollinators by increasing diversity of bee species across urban and suburban landscapes.”
According to Phillips, any size garden is helpful to pollinators and eligible to be registered.
“Every habitat of every size counts,” she says. “This includes home and community garden plots, farms, school gardens, golf courses—anywhere pollinators are planted.”
Planting a pollinator garden is easy and fun. To do so, add plants that provide nectar and pollen sources. These include just about any plant that flowers. Plant throughout the growing season, so that you have continuous blooms. You’ll also want to plant in a sunny area that includes windbreaks, so that the bees and butterflies are able to easily dine. And avoid using pesticides, as they quickly kill off all insects, defeating your purpose. Strive for an insect-friendly garden instead.
To register your garden and #beecounted, go to this link. When it asks for the referring organization in the drop-down menu, choose “The Association for Garden Communicators (GWA).” I’m a member and I’m referring you.
Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, The American Gardener, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of 10 books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story Series, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com. Her backyard is a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.