[Pollinator] Goal: 1 million butterfly gardens nationally

[Matthew Shepherd]

A nice article about the National Pollinator Garden Network and the Million
Pollinator Garden Challenge. NWF coordinates the network and P2 and (I’m
sure) many of network members are represented on this listserv.



Matthew



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FROM: Keys Info Net (website of the Florida Keys Keynoter and Reporter
newspapers)

http://www.keysnet.com/2015/09/23/504808/goal-1-million-butterfly-gardens.html#


Goal: 1 million butterfly gardens nationally

By MARTIN ROSS

September 23, 2015

Butterflies are a wonderful part of a healthy garden. They -- and
innumerable other insects that pollinate plants -- are also ecologically
and economically vital, but they are on the decline.

Gardeners can help offset the loss by planting flowers that sustain
butterflies and other pollinators. A garden designed with pollinators in
mind is as beautiful as any other, and perhaps even more so.

Butterflies, moths, bees, beetles, hummingbirds and even bats all are
pollinators. Their health and welfare are critical to a healthy and diverse
ecosystem, and to the production of one in every three bites of food we
take, according to the National Pollinator Garden Network.

The organization has launched an ambitious campaign, the Million Pollinator
Garden Challenge, to encourage the planting of pollinator-friendly
landscapes to invigorate pollinator populations. The goal is to register
one million pollinator gardens, large and small, old and new, across the
country.

"If you have four acres, that would be wonderful," says Matthew Shepherd,
communications director for the Xerces Society, a wildlife conservation and
protection organization. "But if you have an urban plot, a community
garden, or a spot on the balcony of your 10th-floor condo, you can plant
flowers," he says. "You can do that anywhere."

Monarch butterflies are perhaps all pollinators' most widely recognized
ambassador, and they are among the most endangered. Millions of acres of
the natural habitat of this flashy orange-and-black butterfly have been
lost to development and to the use of agricultural herbicides. The Monarch
Watch program encourages gardeners to plant milkweed, the leaves of these
plants are the only food monarch caterpillars eat; the program is among the
25 partners in the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge.

Perhaps the most prominent pollinator garden in the world is the Butterfly
Habitat Garden at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History on
the Mall in Washington, D.C. The garden was established in 1995 and next
year, it will have a new name, the Pollinator Garden.

"A lot of people are fearful or just don't like insect activity," says
James Gagliardi, lead horticulturist with Smithsonian Gardens. "But it's
very positive. Flowers and fruits are not going to be around without these
pollinators."

A gardener's role in all this is easy: Plant flowers.

Native plants rub shoulders with non-natives in the Butterfly Habitat
Garden. Gagliardi grows native perennials such as goldenrod, which blooms
in the fall, and mountain mint, which has silvery leaves and tiny pink
flowers, and attracts an abundance of pollinators. He also grows bright
annuals, among them zinnias, which are a magnet for butterflies, and
Mexican sunflower, a tall plant covered with bright orange flowers -- and
pollinators -- in late summer and fall.

Big sweeps of colorful flowers blooming through the summer are important,
but the most effective and successful pollinator gardens have blooms
throughout the season. Trees, shrubs and vines also fit into the picture.

"Just by planting one tree, you can really make a difference," says Peggy
Anne Montgomery of American Beauties Native Plants, another partner in the
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge.

Annual flowers grown from seed are every gardener's gateway plants to a
colorful and easy pollinator-friendly garden, says Renee Shepherd, owner of
the seed company Renee's Garden. Annual sunflowers, cosmos, zinnias, cleome
and alyssum all attract butterflies and other pollinators. Herbs should be
part of the mix, she says: Plant plenty of them, let them bloom and see how
many pollinators they attract. Shepherd likes cilantro, arugula, basil and
chives both for their taste and because they attract so many pollinators.
She practices succession planting, so she always has fresh herbs for the
kitchen and blooming herbs outside for the pollinators.

Of course, pollinators find their way to vegetable gardens, too.

Above all, a pollinator garden is no place for pesticides. "We don't use
them" in the Butterfly Habitat Garden, Gagliardi says. "Our garden is very
healthy and very balanced, too." Visitors might notice holes in the leaves
of a few plants, or they may discover curious striped caterpillars on the
fennel or dill, "but if you want butterflies, you have to have food
sources, and there are going to be holes in the leaves," Gagliardi says.

Instead of fretting over insect damage, get to know the insects. In a
pollinator garden, you'll have plenty to discover. Together with the
flowers, these pretty pollinators put on quite a show.

*Helpful resources*

The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, launched this summer by the
National Pollinator Garden Network, is a campaign to register 1 million
public and private gardens and landscapes that support pollinators. To get
your garden on the map, go to wwww.millionpollinatorgardens.org.

The Butterfly Habitat Garden at the Smithsonian's National Museum of
Natural History beautifully demonstrates the relationships between plants
and butterflies and other pollinators. The garden is open every day, year
round. Tours are available. For more information and a description of the
garden’s habitats, a butterfly list and tips on gardening for pollinators,
go to www.gardens.si.edu.

The Xerces Society is a conservation organization dedicated to research,
outreach and education. The society is a partner in the Million Pollinator
Garden Challenge. Pollinator conservation resources on the Xerces Society's
website include excellent regional lists for pollinator plants. Go to
www.xerces.org.
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