Doesn't it seem like you just took down the Christmas lights? And here it is National Pollinator Week already!
How do you plan to celebrate? What you say, you think the true meaning of Pollinator Week has been lost amid all the commercialism and marketing? And you go round and round the mall but just can't find the right gift for your favorite pollinator?
I suggest you take a quiet moment and remind yourself that every third bite of food you eat is there because of pollinators. Those beautiful wildflowers along the roadside, ditto. The list goes on.
You don't have to spend a bundle at the garden center buying shiny new flowers for pollinators. You can do a few simple things at home and garden...
Leave small piles of sticks and hollow stems from garden cleanup for nesting locations.
Dig small areas for puddles and leave some bare ground for nesting as well. These muddy places also contain needed salts and minerals.
Refrain from using harmful garden chemicals. When necessary, choose to spray when insects are not out foraging.
Consider evergreens, they protect many insects and birds from harsh weather.
If you're a softy for such important holidays and decide to budget bigger for National Pollinator Week, native plants are best adapted for pollinating insects and birds. Otherwise check plant tags for bee, butterfly and bird-friendly blooms.
And no holiday is complete without dessert. Treat your self to a piece of blueberry pie or lemon cake, but just remember a pollinator made it possible.
For more information on National Pollinator Week, click here.
