05/12/2023
“Your yard doesn’t need to be as clean as your kitchen,” reminds BWSR Ecological Science Conservationist Paul Erdmann.
During the month of May, invites you to think of your yard — or a corner of it — in terms of pollinator habitat. Going beyond No Mow May can produce season-long blooms and pollinator benefits.
NESTING/RESTING HABITAT: Pollinators and other beneficial insects seeking shelter from predators and the elements find it in stems and branches of trees, shrubs and wildflowers; in leaf litter; in undisturbed and bare ground; and in dead wood, brush piles and rock piles. Leaving a corner of your yard “untidy” is a best practice. Because pollinators won’t emerge until temperatures are consistently warm, consider holding off on early garden cleanup. If you do prune dead flower stalks in the fall, consider leaving 8 to 24 inches, and then creating additional nesting habitat by putting the cut material in a brush or compost pile, on the ground, or in a bundle.
Find The Xerces Society guides under “Creating Pollinator Habitat" on BWSR’s Lawns to Legumes page: https://buff.ly/2VfATNP
GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Looking to do a bit more? Consider applying for a Lawns to Legumes, Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund supported grant, which reimburses Minnesota residents with an area for outdoor planting up to $350 in costs associated with establishing new pollinator habitat in their yards. Focus is on the rusty patched bumblebee. Deadline’s June 30. Details: https://buff.ly/40zQbeu
FREE INFO: Lawns to Legumes DIY resources, including a Planting for Pollinators Habitat Guide, are available to everyone: https://buff.ly/3Lrcf5u
Metro Blooms Blue Thumb - Planting for Clean Water
