Why should we care about pollinators-those butterflies, moths, bees and insects that flutter around us all day? According to Terri Cain, chair of Sustainable Guilford Task Force (SGTF) and manager of the Guilford Community Garden Hub, if you want to eat, you should care.

“Presumably you like to eat, and without our pollinators there is no food,” said Cain.

According to some recent studies, the increased use of pesticides, herbicides, and loss of habitat have all had a devastating effect on pollinators. The stats are staggering, some species of pollinators, including butterflies, have seen a 99 percent decline in the last few years. The bee die off has been an on-going problem for farmers for close to a decade and without intervention numerous industries including food and farms are finding an increasingly dire situation.

So what can we do?

According to Cain, there are a number of simple steps we all can take to keep our insect friends happy and healthy, whether we live on 10 acres or in a studio apartment.

“We really need to help preserve habitat. The mission is resiliency and sustainability and we can all pitch in with that. People can make a huge difference with some simple plantings. Mow less, don’t use herbicides or pesticides, and plant pollinator friendly plants,” said Cain.

SGTF member Robin Campot said that it’s easy to make a difference.

“It’s as easy as just planting these native species in and around your existing ornamental garden. Integrate pollinator plants into your garden design,” said Campot. “Clover makes a fabulous pollinator. Use that that as groundcover for your garden. It’s beautiful and so important for these pollinators.

According to Cain and Campot, though many gardeners focus on spring, autumn is the best time to plant many of the plant species that pollinators will need come spring.

“Fall is really an important time for planting,” said Campot. “The conditions are the best at this time of year and a perfect time to start and seed a pollinator garden of your own.”

Cain echoed that advice: “People get excited about spring, but fall is the time to do your planting and seeding. It is very important to plant in the fall.”

Many pollinators are in a one-to-one relationship with certain plants. The loss of a species of plant means a loss of a pollinator.

“Plants like milkweed and others are absolutely crucial for certain species. Monarch butterflies only lay eggs on milkweed. Without it, the species will die off and sadly that is what we are seeing,” said Cain.

Guilford High School educator and science teacher Samantha Chiappa and her students have taken this to heart. Her students began designing and constructing a pollinator garden on school grounds to put a solution into action.

“We have such a great and supportive principal and staff and the students really responded to that. Everyone got very excited when the project began,” said Chiappa. “The students really love it. They are outside, which during the pandemic was a great situation, but they like having that combination of hands-on and classroom learning.”

The high school garden is set to be tilled down this fall and seeded with an array of pollinator plants.

“The kids are really great. They love any opportunity to do something different and the garden really is a source of pride for them. They did the planning, planting, and the design,” Chiappa said.

According to Chiappa, the University of Connecticut will actually sample your soil and provide feedback on how to nurture it for pollinator plants. It also can assist in what species might be best suited for your particular soil configuration.

For more information on the Sustainable Guilford Task Force, visit www.sustainableguilford.org.

For more information about the Guilford Community Garden and how to help, donate, or obtain more information about designing a pollinator garden, email guilfordcommunitygardenhub@gmail.com.

For more information on the UConn soil testing program, visit www.soiltest.uconn.edu/sampling.php.

The Best Pollinator Plants

Dandelions

Asters

Fennel

Milkweed (essential for monarch butterfly reproduction)

Golden rod

Sedum

Clover (great ground cover plant and/or lawn cover)

Queen Anne’s Lace

Some Tips from the Experts

• Don’t rake your leaves. Leaves provide essential habitat and cover for numerous species of invertebrates and pollinators like moths, butterflies and bees. If you must rake, try to leave some areas un-raked to provide this essential cover.

• Mow around your dandelion patches if possible, or leave sections of heavy dandelion growth alone for chunks of the summer mowing season. These flowers are not only beautiful, they provide crucial opportunities for pollinators such as bees.

• Cut the pesticide and herbicide use. Wild flowers, dandelions, and other tall grasses and are a natural and necessary component of a healthy ecosystem and they can be far more esthetically pleasing than an empty green lawn.

• Leave sections of your lawn un-mowed and allow it to go wild. Simply by not mowing, a critical and beautiful little ecosystem will develop on your property. Even small areas around the edges of your property or a small patch can be crucial. You can even grow pollinator plants in pots and put them on your steps or deck.

• Plant native species that attract pollinators: asters, butterfly bushes, milkweed, and golden rod. Also, fennel and especially clover can be plated as a ground cover for a pollinator garden or even to spread around areas of your lawn to enhance the existing grass.