WASHINGTON — We’re finally getting some weather that could have you heading out to the garden, porch, or backyard to get some planting done.
What you put in the ground can have a big impact even beyond your home.
THE QUESTION:
What can you do in your own yard to support local pollinators?
OUR SOURCES:
WHAT WE FOUND:
The campaigns and efforts to “save the bees” recognize that the small insects are the backbone of our ecology, and that they and other bugs, like butterflies, help pollinate our plants to keep them alive and blooming every year.
To help them in this big job, the experts say it’s all about going back to basics: plant native.
When you pick out trees or flowers or bushes, planting things native to your area will make you a bee’s best friend.
Staff at local nurseries and garden centers will be able to point you in the right direction, or check out some of the resources here:
DC NATIVE PLANTS:
VIRGINIA NATIVE PLANTS:
MARYLAND NATIVE PLANTS:
- Chesapeake Native Plant Center (searchable database)
- Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping (PDF)
Natasha Garcia Andersen, wildlife biologist with the DC Department of Energy and Environment, says it doesn’t matter how little space you have because anything at all helps.
“When you're like, this big,” she said pinching her fingers close, “a tiny yard could be your whole world. And if it's full of just grass that does nothing for you, it's not going to help you. if there's stuff for you to forage on, there's places for you to live in. So we always say native plants for native pollinators.”
Keith Tignor, Virginia’s State Apiarist, says a little variety goes a long way.
“Just like we need a variety of diet, in our diets, so do the insects as far as their variety of plants that they go to, in order to get that food resource."
Tignor says the benefits go beyond the bees.
“We have several hundreds bee species in the in the the Mid-Atlantic area. The honeybees, the apis mellifera, that's just one species. So having pollinating sources, nectar plants, pollen producing plants, that helps all of our pollinators and not just the bees but are the butterflies and other insects that take advantage of the that food source,” he said.
And if you needed any more convincing, Garcia Andersen says it’s just easier to care for native plants.
“They kind of take care of themselves,” she said. “You don't need to invest in a whole bunch of pesticides to keep them looking great because, you know, this is where they're from, and this is what they're used to.”