[Pollinator] USDA Blog -- Celebrating our Native Wildflowers for National Wildflower Week 2014

[Matthew Shepherd]

From: USDA Blog
http://blogs.usda.gov/2014/05/08/celebrating-our-native-wildflowers-for-national-wildflower-week-2014/Celebrating
our Native Wildflowers for National Wildflower Week 2014

Posted by Janet Grabowski, Natural Resources Conservation Service-Florida
Plant Materials Center <http://blogs.usda.gov/author/bweaver/>

May 8, 2014 at 3:00 PM



[image: In northern Florida wildflowers are planted in an unused part of
this farm field to provide habitat for pollinators. USDA photo.]

In northern Florida wildflowers are planted in an unused part of this farm
field to provide habitat for pollinators. USDA photo.

No matter what part of the country you grew up in, most of us have fond
childhood memories of the wildflowers that sprung up each year around our
homes, parks and roadsides.

For many, this fondness has carried into our adult years. This week, we
celebrate National Wildflower Week <http://www.wildflower.org/nww/> as a
way to share our interest and to increase public awareness for wildflowers
in the landscape.

The beauty of wildflowers can indeed stir up memories of a certain place or
time. But the wildflowers that are native to a particular place also serve
an important function in the ecology of that place.

Native wildflowers are those species that were already growing in an area
before settlers came and planted their favorite flowers from their
homelands. Plants that are native to an area are better adapted to the
local growing conditions than non-native ones. They are generally easier to
establish, require less water and fertilizer and are more tolerant of the
pests and diseases found in that area.

Many populations of native wildflowers have been lost because of urban
development, competition from invasive plant species and some modern
farming practices.

We’ve learned that agriculture can benefit from native wildflowers. Patches
of wildflowers located adjacent to crop fields can attract insects and
other types of wildlife that in turn pollinate the crop and increase
yields. In fact, more than a third of the world’s food crops are dependent
on pollinators to produce fruit.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service
<http://www.nrcs.usda.gov>(NRCS) is working to combat this decline of
wildflowers by promoting
planting of them on farms and ranches. Several of the Farm Bill
programs<http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/plantsanimals/pollinate/help/>that
NRCS administers have specific financial incentives tied to planting
wildflowers.

NRCS also maintains a national network of Plant Materials
Centers<http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/plantmaterials/pmc/>that
can provide information on which native wildflowers to plant to
improve pollinator habitat and guidance on recommended methods for
establishing and maintaining wildflower plantings.

At the Plant Materials Center where I work, we recently partnered with
the Xerces
Society for Invertebrate Conservation <http://www.xerces.org/> to track
flowering periods of several native wildflowers. This information is being
used to help develop seeding mixes for attracting pollinators to crops
grown in Florida.

Flowering periods of the crop and the wildflowers that we plan to use to
attract pollinators must be in sync for successful pollination to occur.
The information we gather can help determine the best wildflower species
for farmers to plant in field borders, contour buffer strips and other
conservation practices to ensure pollination of their crops.

- See more at:
http://blogs.usda.gov/2014/05/08/celebrating-our-native-wildflowers-for-national-wildflower-week-2014/#sthash.d6CHaj77.dpuf





________



*Matthew Shepherd*, Communications Director



*The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation     *Protecting the Life
that Sustains Us



Stay in touch:     *xerces.org <http://www.xerces.org/>*          *Facebook
<http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Xerces-Society/193182577358618>*
*E-newsletter <http://www.xerces.org/enewsletters/>*          *Twitter
<https://twitter.com/xerces_society>*



628 NE Broadway, Ste 200, Portland, OR 97232-1324, USA

Tel: (503) 232-6639 ext. 110; Toll free: 1-855-232 6639 ext. 110; Cell:
(503) 807-1577

mdshepherd at xerces.org



The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international
nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of
invertebrates and their habitat. To join the Society, make a donation, or
read about our work, please visit www.xerces.org.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20140508/0f7de4a5/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 167053 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20140508/0f7de4a5/attachment-0001.jpg>