Loss of habitat and other environmental threats are contributing to the decline of pollinators, posing potentially irreversible harm to the foundation of nature and global food production.
Simsbury Pollinator Pathway is an all-volunteer, Connecticut-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes, and assists in, creating pollinator-friendly spaces by residents, municipalities and businesses to ensure pollinators and the wildlife that depend on them are healthy and abundant. Take the Simsbury Pollinator Pathway Pledge and Join Us.
Our goal is to plant the seeds of change at the local level. The path to protecting pollinators starts here.
Read MoreThere are many simple and affordable ways you can create more pollinator-friendly spaces. Visit local garden stores to see and purchase established native plants. Minimize costs by sharing divided native plants with neighbors and friends. If you're patient, start wildflowers by seed.
Removing invasive non-native plants is one of the simplest ways to improve pollinator habitat.
Change your yard maintenance routine. Reduce the frequency of mowing. Substitute drought resistant white clover for grass. Allow a portion of your yard to turn to meadow or grow wild with native ground cover. Allow leaves to compost naturally in your garden beds instead of raking or blowing them.
Most importantly, don't use lawn chemicals and pesticides. Natural predators of ticks and mosquitoes such as opossums, birds, bats and beetles help keep the local ecosystem in balance. Instead of broadly applying pesticides to your yard, protect yourself and pets with proper clothing and insect repellent.
Is there any season more highly anticipated than summer? Established plants and trees are laden with blooms and leafy, providing valuable food and shelter for active pollinators. Flowers started by seed last year are naturalizing in year two, hinting at future meadows to replace mowed lawns. Areas cleared of invasive plants last fall and throughout spring are ready for replanting, if not already transformed into pollinator friendly spaces.
Local garden stores, Bosco's and Warner's, have stocked many natives in response to our community's growing interest in creating more pollinator friendly spaces. Visit our Library page to view their 2022 native plant lists.
Of course, summer is the optimal growing season for invasive, non-native plants, too. Oriental or Asiatic bittersweet, garlic mustard, burning bush, multiflora rose, and Norway maple are just a few of the common offenders taking root in Simsbury. Your continuing efforts to control the spread of invasives and to replace ornamentals of little or no ecological value with native plants are small steps that add up to big gains for the pollinators. Keep up the good work and enjoy your summer!
Here are a few simple steps you can take now to help restore a healthy ecosystem for pollinators and other wildlife.
Native plants naturally thrive in Simsbury. They attract and support pollinators throughout the year and generally require less watering and care than non-natives and cultivars.
Invasive plants compete for space with other plants in the landscape. When left to spread, non-native invasive plants reduce the food supply for pollinators.
Pesticides are highly indiscriminate, killing intended pests as well as beneficial insects. Chemicals often linger on dead insects which when ingested by birds and other wildlife cascade through the food chain.
Lawn irrigation combined with chemical lawn treatments creates runoff that migrates through the ground or storm drains to wetlands and water courses. Nitrogen concentrations are the cause of dangerous algae blooms in ponds, lakes and the sea.
Manicured lawns are monocultures of little environmental value to pollinators. A rich habitat of diverse food sources available throughout the year and natural shelter such as sticks, brush and leaves are essential for pollinator and wildlife to thrive.
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