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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 23 ,2 02 2 | 20 As spring turned into summer, you may be observing all sorts of bees, butterflies, moths and other pollinators happily visiting col- ourful blossoms. These beautiful and fascinating creatures provide the crucial ecosystem service of pollination, but some species are in decline. Populations of the rusty- patched bumblebee, for example, have rapidly diminished due to threats such as introduced dis- ease from managed bees, climate change, insecticide use, invasive species and habitat loss. Given the importance of polli- nators to the sustainability of nat- ural ecosystems and food sys- tems, many people are looking for practical ways to support the in- tricate ecological relationships between plants and insects that have evolved over centuries. Here are five steps you can take to create pollinator habitat in your yard, garden, on your balco- ny, at your community garden or in other public spaces such as boulevards: 1. If you have a lawn, replace sec- tions of turf grass with low-main- tenance native ground covers such as wild strawberry, pussy- toes and pearly everlasting, in sun, or wild ginger, zigzag golden- rod and woodland strawberry, in shade. Not only will you save a lot of time -- less lawn to mow, water and weed -- but you'll also be re- placing the ecologically barren landscape of mown turf grass with beautiful flowering plants that provide pollen and nectar for bees and butterflies. 2. Plant native shrubs. They re- quire very little maintenance oth- er than watering in their first year of growth, as they're getting estab- lished, and they offer food, cover and nesting habitat for pollina- tors and birds. A bonus: many na- tive shrubs provide food for hu- mans, too, with delicious berries and nuts. Edible fruit-producing shrubs for sunny spaces include serviceberry, elderberry, choke- cherry, chokeberry, and highbush cranberry. For edible nuts, con- sider American hazelnut, which thrives in sun and part-sun. In shade, shrubs such as purple- flowering raspberry, alternate- leaved dogwood, ninebark, east- ern snowberry and spicebush are great, easy-to-grow, nonedible choices; for sun, New Jersey tea, northern bush honeysuckle, win- terberry, common juniper, fra- grant sumac, smooth rose and pussy willow work well. 3. Grow a selection of native plants in large pots on your balcony. Har- dy plant choices include yellow gi- ant hyssop, nodding wild onion, black-eyed Susan, wild colum- bine, Virginia mountain mint, wild bergamot, zigzag goldenrod, New England aster, hoary ver- vain and wild blue violet. These container plants will return year after year if you mulch them with a thick protective layer of dead leaves over the winter. 4. Support pollinators with simple tweaks to your garden mainte- nance practices. For example, leave dead leaves where they fall in autumn, as they provide cru- cial habitat for many species of overwintering bees, butterflies and moths. And in spring, don't "clean up" or remove these leaves, as different species of pollinators emerge from their winter protec- tion at different times, some even in mid- to late summer. The leaves will decompose naturally and re- plenish the soil, and as they're do- ing this good work, the new growth of plants will hide any re- maining leaves. 5. Join with neighbours to create connected pollinator corridors in your neighbourhood -- ribbons of habitat across the landscape! These connected pollinator patch- es not only grow habitat, but they also grow community, too, uniting neighbours in a shared purpose of helping pollinators thrive. Pollinators need and support native plants, and native plants need and support pollinators. These relationships are vital to supporting all life on earth. When we plant native plants and create pollinator habitat, we increase the odds that these ecological con- nections will be there for genera- tions to come. Adapted from "A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee: Creat- ing Habitat for Native Pollinators (Ontario and Great Lakes Edi- tion)" © Lorraine Johnson and Sheila Colla, illustrations © Ann Sanderson. Published 2022 by Douglas & McIntyre Ltd. WANT TO HELP SAVE THE BEES AND BUTTERFLIES? LORRAINE JOHNSON WHAT'S ON CREATE A POLLINATOR PARADISE IN YOUR GARDEN - HERE'S HOW More than 90 per cent of herbivorous insects are specialists on native plants. By growing habitat gardens full of native plants, you'll be supporting these crucial co-evolved relationships, such as the one between monarchs and milkweeds. Dorte Windmuller photo WHAT POLLINATORS NEED • Areas with diverse flowering plants, from spring to fall, with pollen and nectar • Plants on which to lay their eggs, or nesting areas in which to lay their eggs. • Areas that are free of pesticides • Patches of bare ground in which to burrow and build their nests • A diverse array of plant and landscape features, such as rocks, dead wood, dead stems, leaves, mud, oils and resins that support the various habitat and nesting needs of diverse pollinator species SHEILA COLLA