Pollinator Week encourages bee-friendly planting

Bees may be famous for their stingers, but they’re also invaluable to gardeners and farmers everywhere. In recent years, though, pollinators have been on the decline in the U.S.

That’s why for six years, the Pollinator Partnership has dedicated a whole week (June 18 to 24) to bees, butterflies, bats, birds and more.

“Each of us lives in a habitat, and we have the opportunity, in fact, the responsibility, to nurture and promote healthy habitat. By sharing a bit of lawn, a school yard, a farm border, an office landscape or a roadside with blooming pollinator-friendly plants, we create a connection that supports healthy ecosystems and a sustainable future. All of our actions join to build something invaluable to the very plants and pollinators that feed us.”

Pollinator Partnership is advocating the S.H.A.R.E. approach to planting: Simply Have Areas Reserved for the Environment. Gardeners, land managers, farmers, individuals, corporations, schools, landscapers, even golf course managers can get involved by planting a pollinator-friendly plant like foxgloves, goldenrods, black-eyed Susans and others. There is even a BeeSmart Pollinator Gardener app that includes planting guidelines for your specific area.

To find more information about pollinators in your area, and which plants will attract them, visit the Pollinator Partnership website.