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.
When the first warm days of spring arrive, you are undoubtedly anxious to get outside and start working in the soil. Let spring clean-up wait! Leaves, dried stems, and sticks are cozy shelters for pollinators that have not yet fully awakened. Our soil temperatures remain too cool often well into April or May. So what's a gardener to do?
One of the best ways to get busy and make a positive difference in your yard and the ecosystem is to remove invasive plants. Eliminate the ones that are most aggressive in your yard to make room for more native plants. Read about burning bush, an invasive plant that has spread far beyond neighborhoods and into nearby woods and meadows.
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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