Gardening by Judith Adam No bags to pack, and the summer living is easy…now’s the time to consider autumn lawn rejuvenation, and how to save our pollinator partners. Pollinators and how to keep them The fruits of summer are at hand. Cherries, apricots, peaches, blueberries, raspberries, tomatoes, pears, apples, melons, pumpkins and many other delicious treats are headed for our tables – but, possibly, for the last time. These crops depend on pollinators that are quickly vanishing, victims of decreased natural habitats and excessive pesticide use. One in every three food items in our diet is dependent on the services of pollinators in orchards, growing fields and home gardens. Pollinating insects and birds ensure the abundance of fruits and vegetables in supermarkets, as well as providing foods for the canning and frozen food industries.The threat to our food choices is stark; without efforts to eliminate the pressures on pollinators, we may seriously reduce our food choices. Some common pollinators are familiar, such as butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. However, there aremany hundreds of others which we wouldn’t recognize, and probably never notice. In Canada, we havemore than 800 species of mostly non-stinging native bees. These docile creatures are generally solitary, living outside of hive structures, and have no interest in human activity. They all depend on natural landscape habitats free frompesticides, and plants that suit their particular tastes and purpose. Some municipal governments are developing policies and programs to encourage pollinators. There are two things that gardeners can do to have an immediate impact on saving pollinators (and a third of the food on our tables). First, don’t use insecticides on garden plants and lawns. Even organic insecticides will kill pollinators. Second, provide nectar-rich plants for pollinators to feed on. Many hybrid ornamental plants have double petals, that is, extra rings of petals around flower heads. Double flowers are often sterile and won’t produce nectar or pollen, and provide nothing for pollinators to feed on. Look for flowers with simple daisy-like petals surrounding a central disc or cone; or tall spikes covered with tiny flowers such as ornamental sage and veronica. It’s a simple message – feed the bees, and the bees will feed us. Starve the bees, and we’ll all go hungry. 44 | www.snowbirds.org
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzMzNzMx