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<H2 id=headline><FONT size=2><EM>Auburn Citizen, Auburn NY</EM></FONT></H2>
<H2>In the garden, pollinators rule</H2>
<P id=byline>By Terri Rafferty / Special to The Citizen</P>
<P class=timestamp><SPAN class=timestamp>Saturday, March 21, 2009 11:44 PM
EDT</SPAN></P>
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<DIV id=storystart>STERLING - Nature lovers and inspired gardeners learned
everything there is to know about pollination and how to start and maintain a
pollinated garden at the Sterling Nature Center Saturday. </DIV>
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<DIV id=storyfinish>Native Pollinators, the first event of the spring and summer
season, was run by nature center director Jim D'Angelo.<BR><BR>Shirley Ryan, of
Auburn, and Bernie Aldrich, of Montezuma, came out to see what they might
learn.<BR><BR>“I love nature. I haven't been to the nature center before but it
encompasses my interests,” Ryan said.<BR><BR>In his presentation, D'Angelo spoke
of ways to keep a more healthier natural garden by attracting native
pollinators. D'Angelo gave an overview of the native pollinators in the local
area and gave tips on how to attract these beneficial insects to your
yard.<BR><BR>The basic premise of pollination is the transfer of pollen from the
male to the female plant and is required for fruit and seeds to produce in
flowering plants.<BR><BR>“Eighty percent of all crops require an animal
pollinator,” D'Angelo said. “Pollinators produce larger more favorable fruit and
higher crop yields.”<BR><BR>Without pollination tomatoes, squash, watermelon,
apples, blueberries, cucumbers and even chocolate wouldn't be accessible for
eating, D'Angelo said.<BR><BR>“People are disconnected from where there food
comes from. People are so used to going to a grocery store and picking up what
they need. They don't really know much about their food. They can buy
strawberries year round and around here they only grow naturally in the spring,”
D'Angelo said.<BR><BR>Bees are the most important pollinators. There are 4,000
different species of bees in North America and 47 different species of
bumblebees.<BR><BR>Bees use the pollen gained from plants and flowers for
nutrients and food. Usually they feed this to their brood which will eventually
hatch into an adult bee. Bees also use the nectar to keep up their
energy.<BR><BR>“If you want pollination in your yard use bees,” D'Angelo said.
“Native bees are the best to use because they fly only about 200 yards for food
so they will pollinate your garden more.”<BR><BR>Different animal pollinators
include bats, lemurs, slugs, flies, beetles, lizards, bush babies and
hummingbirds. Wind is a natural pollinator and helps specifically with the
production of corn.<BR><BR>“Cross-pollination occurs when pollen from one plant
lands on the silks of another plant. Gaps in corn occur when not every single
kernel of corn is pollinated,” D'Angelo said.<BR><BR>In this area, the
ruby-throated hummingbird is a significant pollinator attracted to red, orange
and yellow flowers as well as lilac bushes.<BR><BR>D'Angelo recommends using
plants and flowers that are native to New York state and naturally attract
pollinators such as the 12 varieties of milkweed, 26 varieties of goldenrod and
212 varieties of aster are available locally.<BR><BR>The landscape of a garden
is another important factor because to get the most benefit of natural
pollinators the entire garden should be used for pollinating purposes.<BR><BR>A
technique called clumping is crucial. Plant same color flowers in a large
cluster about 4 feet apart, which helps insects to better pollinate since they
naturally see colors in clumps.<BR><BR>D'Angelo also stressed the importance of
diversity in a garden. “You should have things in bloom throughout the season
since many bee and butterfly species fly at different times of the year,” he
said.<BR><BR>D'Angelo also recommended avoiding the use of pesticides but gave
tips on how to best use them.<BR><BR>Use pesticides when plants are not in
bloom, when pollinators are not active but when the pest you are targeting is
active and use a pesticide that is specific to that particular pest.<BR><BR>“All
of our actions big or small can be detrimental to nature,” D'Angelo said.
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face="Gill Sans MT" size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>Laurie Davies Adams<BR>Executive
Director<BR><B>Pollinator Partnership </B><BR>423 Washington Street, 5th
floor<BR>San Francisco, CA
94111<BR>415-362-1137<BR>LDA@pollinator.org</FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#0000ff size=4 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="14"><B><A
href="http://www.pollinator.org/">www.pollinator.org</A></B></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"></B><BR><A
href="http://www.nappc.org/">www.nappc.org</A><BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0
face="Gill Sans MT" color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="12"><B><I>National Pollinator Week is June 22-28, 2009. <BR>Beecome
involved at <A
href="http://www.pollinator.org/">www.pollinator.org</A></I></FONT></B></DIV></FONT><br/><font style="color:black;font:normal 10pt arial,san-serif;"> <hr style="margin-top:10px"/><b>A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. <a href="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1219858252x1201366219/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fwww.freecreditreport.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26hmpgID%3D62%26bcd%3DMarchfooterNO62"> See yours in just 2 easy steps!</a></b></font></DIV></BODY></HTML>