In May I reported on the decline of pollinators and the need to action. Eight years ago Congress authorized a week in June to be designate as National Pollinator Week. This week, June 15th thru June 21st, 2015, is managed by the
Pollinator Partnership. If you are reading this blog, you are probably already supporting pollinators by planting flowers and/or vegetables for your own enjoyment. And, you already know the importance of having bees and butterflies around to pollinate your plants, for without them it would be a very short season indeed. The key is to plant a variety of plants, which will bloom from spring into fall. In May, the bees were all abuzz around our apple and pear trees, and unlike last year the blossoms remained on the trees long enough to result in the formation of lots of fruit.
In early June, lilacs are a favorite for both the bees and butterflies and there are plenty of blossoms to satisfy both.
In mid-summer the daylilies will provide flowers daily as their name suggests.
And in the vegetable garden there are usually plenty of blossoms to keep the bees busy.
I know that I need to improve my fall plantings to offer more blooms, but last year the deer saved me a few sunflowers and I'm hoping that the wildflower mix that I sowed this spring will offer some fall blooms.
Even if you don't have a garden, you can support pollinators simply by eliminating the use of pesticides in your yard and mowing less frequently. Your soil will become healthier and the pollinators will appreciate the spring dandelions and the clover that will be allowed to bloom. If you are interested in finding activities to celebrate and learn more about pollinators, you can check out the map on the Partnership's webpage at
http://pollinator.org/npw_events.htm. If you live in New Hampshire, UNH is offering a day-long appreciation day on Wednesday at the
Woodman Horticulture Research Farm. Whether you love bees or are afraid of them, we can all appreciate the importance of the work that they do.
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