Bluestem is back after an unanticipated delay in posting, as our gardens got a bit ahead of us, as did our partner's family business. One of the projects this weekend was creation of a pollinator garden in honor of National Pollinator Week. We'll be posting pictures as it grows out and as we secure some bee balm plants.
We're also thrilled to learn that our local honeybee business, Whetstone Valley Honey, didn't suffer much loss of its hives. While the hives that live across US Highway 12 from Summit where late in being placed, transportation issues and the late, late spring was responsible for the hives' absence. While our fruit trees would have profited from the presence of more honeybees, the beau and I took heart from the many bumble and sweat bees hanging out in the orchards.
Pollinator Week itself is a curious celebration, given the involvement of agrichemical corporations whose products are lethal to insects and other living things. Although a number of organizations supporting National Pollinator Week include "partners" that promote pollinator-deadly insecticides, our readers can use the week to plant fodder and improve habitat, while educating themselves about the decline of pollinators.
There are some of the sites that we've found useful:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pollinators "What you can do" page:
Pollinators need your help! There is increasing evidence that many pollinators are in decline. However, there are some simple things you can do at home to encourage pollinator diversity and abundance.
The site links to a lot of great how-to information including University of Minnesota Extension and Xerces Society - Conserving Pollinators: A Primer for Gardeners.
The Pesticide Action Network's Honey Haven RESOURCES FOR PROTECTING POLLINATORS IN YOUR BACKYARD & BEYOND provides just that, from advice on bee-friendly gardening and bee haven creation to suggestions on getting involved in pollinator protection policy discussions.
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has posted wonderful Pollinator-Friendly Plant Lists:
Plant lists are available to download . . . in PDF format.
United States
Recommended native plants that are highly attractive to pollinators such as native bees, honey bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds, and are well-suited for small-scale plantings in gardens, on business and school campuses, in urban greenspaces, and in farm field borders.
Most of our readers should check out Pollinator Plants: Great Lakes Region (Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York); Pollinator Plants: Midwest Region (Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana); and Pollinator Plants: Northern Plains Region (Canada’s prairie provinces, the Dakotas, eastern Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, and western Minnesota).
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has posted a Minnesota Pollinator Resources page that includes practical information like the University of Minnesota's Plants for Pollinators to education and outreach such as the DNR's Project Wild: pollinator curriculum.
Of course, the University of Minnesota's Bee Lab and the practical Bee Squad are terrific resources. For those moved to an organizing mode, Beyond Pesticides has created a day-by-day page to Plan Actions to Protect Pollinators During National Pollinator Week, June 18-24.
We'll close with a statement from the Minnesota House's bee champion Rick Hansen, DFL-S. St. Paul, about the week:
Starting on June 18, the United States and Canada will be celebrating National Pollinator Week. National Pollinator Week started 11 years ago when the U.S. Senate unanimously approved it as a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Pollinator Week has now grown into an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats, and beetles.
“Pollinators are vital to our community, our state, and our entire planet,” remarked Rep. Hansen. “Pollinator week is a terrific time to take actions such as planting pollinator-friendly plants, creating habitat for pollinators, or going to events geared around helping pollinators. I encourage everyone to get out there and do some good for pollinators this coming week.”
Events and further info for pollinator week can be found at http://pollinator.org/pollinator-week.
Photo: National Pollinator Week starting in Bristol Township, Fillmore County, MN #pollinators. Tweet by Rep. Rick Hansen, who farms the family place with his brother in Southeastern Minnesota.
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