With summer upon us, I can't think of a better time to celebrate - and support - the many kinds of wildlife that pollinate everything from fruit to veggies and numerous wildflowers and plants. From the beloved butterflies, birds and bees to beetles, ants, bats and many other animals, our pollinators perform a critical role in our food and plant systems.
What can we do to support our pollinators? Here are few suggestions:
- Plant native wildflowers in your gardens and landscape.
- Plant in clusters to help create an area large enough for pollinators to zone in on.
- Look for sunny areas with some wind protection to help pollinators stay on the blossoms.
- Reduce or eliminate use of pesticides on your lawn.
- Leave leaf litter, branches and dead stalks stand in the fall to provide nesting sites.
- Don't be afraid to leave small unmulched areas to provide nesting sites for bees.
You can find more tips here at the Friends of the Mississippi pollinator page.
While we do alot of the above at our house, I also encourage you to take time on the trails to observe pollinators at their work. Taking the time to pause and observe insect pollinators like bumblebees, beetles, butterflies and ants at their work is a treat in itself.
To find out more about pollinator Week and check out their resoures, please click here.
The Nature Place in La Crosse WI is celebrating all week long. Stop by their Facebook page for the scoop and stop by and see them this week!
Here are a few photos of our busy insect friends that I've taken in the last week as I lingered on the trails and at home in the native plants.
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| Flat-headed baldycypress sapwood beetle |
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| Black and gold bumblebee |
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| Monarch butterfly |
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| Western honeybee |
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| Ant on prairie rose |
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| Common eastern bumblebee |
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| Spangled fritillary butterfly |
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| Two-spotted bumblebee |
See you - and the pollinators - on the trails!
Images - Marge Loch-Wouters
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