POLLINATORFRIENDLYGARDENS

Make your gardenand Londona safe havenfor pollinators

* Pollination Canada/Seeds of Diversity http://www.pollinationcanada.ca

* Pollination Guelph: http://www.pollinationguelph.ca

* Xerces Society http://www.xerces.org

Resources:* The London Public Library is always agreat place to start! http://www.londonpubliclibrary.ca

* Upper Thames River ConservationAuthority (UTRCA) http://www.thamesriver.on.ca/water-shed-health/native-species

* City of London http://www.london.ca/residents/Property-Matters/Lawns-Gardens/Pages/Garden-Care-Tips.aspx Related staff - ecologist, urban forester andenvironment outreach coordinator.

* Community Gardens London www.communitygardenslondon.ca

Brochure developed for the Advisory Committee onEnvironment, London, with assistance from many, insupport of the goal to make London a PollinatorSanctuary. November 2014

London, Ontario ... on thepath to being a “pollinatorsanctuary”Londoners are concerned about theeffects of habitat loss and insecticideson pollinators. How can we supportpollinators here in the Forest City?

Appeal for strong policies to preserve andrestore ecological services, includingenhanced pollinator habitat in The LondonPlan, London’s Official Plan, under suchcategories as Trees and Forests, Parks andRecreation, Natural Areas.

Request and support by-law changes toallow property owners to plant pollinatorgardens.

Engage the City to lead by example byplanting pollinator friendly landscapesthroughout the City’s parks and othergreen spaces.

Contribute to pollinator gardens inbackyards, boulevards, and other relevantspaces. Do not use synthetic pesticides orpesticide treated seeds and plants.

Create linked natural areas to preserve andincrease pollinator habitat, whileeducating the community on theimportance of pollinator health.

Bumblebee busy on a late September RussianSage flower. photo: C. Downing

photo: C. Downing

Milkweed - now allowed - is the only food forMonarch caterpillars. photo: C. Downing

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Spring flowering* Red and Black Currants, Raspberries, andServiceberry feed bees ... and later givebirds and humans tasty fruit!* Willow for Orchard Mason bees, andMourning Cloak & Viceroy butterflies.

Summer flowering*Perennial flowers for butterflies includePhlox, Swamp Milkweed, Rue, EnglishLavender and Butterfly Weed.*Hummingbirds enjoy Bee Balm andNicotiana; and Nasturtiums, which flower‘til fall.

Late summer & fall flowering* Perennial Goldenrod & MichaelmasDaisy; self-sowing cosmos for bees.

Remember herbs & vegetables!* Kitchen thyme in bloom attracts myriadtiny bees, wasps and flies.*Lemon balm, catnip, peppermint, andsage feed pollinators, provide kitchenherbs, and may flower again.* Vegetables like squash, cucumbers,beans, and peas must be pollinated to lethumans have a meal and for seeds todevelop for future crops.

Positive Planting* Plant for each stage of a pollinator’s life —

nectar producing plants for adults, foodplants for caterpillars, plants for pupae.Leave overwintering space like brushpiles.

* Plant the widest range of plant types youhave space for; plant in groupings.

* Perennials with flower clusters or a longbloom period, grasses, and trees givemuch nectar and pollen.

* Native pollinators appreciate nativeplants; they evolved together.

* 3 seasons of flowering in all the coloursgive continuous, varied food for the manydifferent pollinators.

* Provide water, especially during drought.Insects can drink safely at the wet edges ofwater running over rocks, or the puddlesfrom rain run-off and slow drip irrigation.

* Some native bees live solitary lives inground burrows so keep a sunny, well-drained (sloped) area free of mulch. Othersolitary bees nest in hollow, cut stalks orabandoned insect tunnels; you can makenesting areas from wood blocks or tubes.

* Talk to friends, neighbours, localorganizations, businesses and politiciansabout becoming more pollinator friendly.

Pollinator Friendly Plants

Goldenrod for late forage. photo: C. Downing

A POLLINATOR FRIENDLYGARDENAll seasons, all life stages.Plant it, they will come!Bees, butterflies, moths, dragonflies,wasps, flies and hummingbirds live onpollen and nectar supplied by shrubsand trees, perennial and annual flowers,herbs and vegetables.

Their foraging pollinates plants and fruit,and then seeds develop and feed birdsand mammals. Pollinators and otherwildlife need gardens, hedgerows,thickets, set-asides, trees and brush pilesfor food, cover and nest sites.

Proactive Protection* Do not use synthetic herbicides or

insecticides (especially theneonicotinoids) in your garden.

* Hybrid plants may have little pollen ornectar, or hard to reach pollen, andmay be contaminated with pesticide atthe nursery.

* Be bold in the questions you ask ofyour plant supplier.

Monarch butterfly takes nectar from Coreopsis,a native plant. photo: C. Downing

Bee gathers pollen and nectar from perennialMeadowsweet. photo: N. Beauregard