If you’re starting in your pollinator garden journey, check out some of our resources on pollinator habitats and growing wildflowers. If you already have an efficacious garden full of native flowering plants, what’s next? Here are a few steps to turn your favorite outdoor space into a true pollinator paradise.
Provide Shelter:
Dead trees left upright to decompose naturally, also called snags, provide many insects and animals a place to live and shelter from high winds and bad weather. As long as they don’t pose a safety concern, leaving portions of dying trees or dead limbs can provide important nesting sites for pollinators. Even leaving perennials and grasses until late spring instead of removing them in the fall can provide overwintering shelter for pollinators. Here are a couple of fun and exciting DIY alternatives:
In some areas of North America, some species of bats play a vital role in pollination. You can check this out for information on building and installing bat houses.
Butterflies and some moths use wet sand and mud puddles to drink water and extract salts and minerals. Fun fact: this is called puddling. To install a puddling spot in your garden, moisten a shallow container with sand or dirt.
Bees use water for many purposes, including hydration, honey dilution, and (believe it or not) even hive cooling and humidity control. A water source such as a shallow bird bath or pebble-filled bowl of fresh, clean water is an excellent addition to a pollinator garden.
Hang a Hummingbird Feeder:
In North America, hummingbirds are by far the most common bird pollinators. To support their high metabolisms, hummingbirds eat several times their weight in nectar daily. To attract these beautiful and entertaining birds to your garden, consider plants with brightly colored tube-shaped flowers.
Photo courtesy of Robert Kester
Hanging a hummingbird-specific feeder is also an option. However, it may be more of an undertaking than you would expect. If you choose to feed hummingbirds, here are some guidelines for providing a safe food source:
Use a 1:4 solution of refined white cane sugar and spring or tap water.
Never feed hummingbirds honey, artificial sweeteners, unrefined sugars, or red dyes.
When the weather is hot, empty and clean your feeder at least twice a week. Sugar water grows pathogens. If you see mold or the mixture becomes cloudy, you must clean it more often.
Select a feeder with no hidden areas. All internal surfaces must be able to be reached and cleaned with a bottle brush. Clean thoroughly with a white vinegar solution and rinse well with hot water.
Limit the Use of Pesticides:
It’s no secret that pesticide use is harmful to pollinators. Some of the most toxic pesticides take a long time to break down. As a result, concentrations can accumulate in the environment and impact insects, birds, invertebrates, and other beneficial organisms. Even some pesticides that are not toxic have been found to affect learning, foraging, and immune responses in bees.
Here are some pollinator-friendly pest control strategies for your home lawn and garden.
Consider alternate pest control options, such as manual removal.
Select plant species that naturally repel pests or may attract the pest’s predators. This is one aspect of a common practice called companion planting.
Do your research on pesticide selection and application strategies before use.
