Summer is here! The days are heating up, flowers are in bloom, and pollinators of all shapes and sizes are perusing our gardens for nectar and habitat. You may have noticed that bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds tend to prefer certain flowering plants in your garden while avoiding others. Most likely, many of those preferred plants are native species! Our native pollinators, like the American Lady and the Baltimore Checkerspot tend to visit plants that are familiar to them, while eschewing unfamiliar, non-native plants. Sadly, many of our home gardens are planted with non-native, ornamental plants, which offer no benefits to the pollinators we know and love. In an effort to raise awareness about the important role that native plants play in pollinator success, NeighborSpace offered pollinator patch installations in the Greenbriar and Dunmore communities of Towson and Catonsville respectively.
A total of 9 neighbors agreed to have a portion of their front lawns converted to beautiful gardens full of native plants that our pollinators thrive on. Species such as Sambucus canadensis (Elderberry), Eurybia divaricata (White Wood Aster), Chelone glabra (White Turtlehead), Monarda punctata (Spotted Beebalm), and Pycnanthemum incanum (Hoary Mountain Mint) were planted, just to name a few. Victor Bennett of Wildside Nursery donated these plants and his time to help NeighborSpace staff make these pollinator patches a reality.
In addition, a pollinator garden was installed at Greystone Community Open Space last fall, one of NeighborSpaces parks in the Woodlawn area. This patch of native plants not only provides benefits for our native pollinators, but adds a strikingly beautiful feature that is visible when passing by on Gwynn Oak Avenue.
So far, we’ve talked about why native plants are important for pollinators. What then, makes pollinators so important for ecosystem health? Besides being critical in the successful reproduction of a multitude of flowering perennials and other plant species, pollinators and their larvae make up an integral part of native food webs. Without them, a critical source of food for young birds, mammals, and other critters would disappear, creating a cascading effect throughout the environment! Each aspect of our local ecosystems is important for a healthy and functioning environment.
Interested in learning more about pollinator gardens? Reach out to us via email at info@neighborspacebaltimorecounty.org or through our website for more information!