Celebrating Pollinator Week The Right Way
June 21st is the first OFFICIAL day of Summer, but you know what else it is the first official day of???
POLLINATOR WEEK!
In the United States, Pollinator Week falls between the dates of June 21st through June 27th. It is one of Plant Sentry™’s favorite weeks out of the entire year because instead of having to focus on the unfriendly pests, diseases, and invasive plant species, we can FINALLY focus on the good guys, pollinators!
As pollinator populations continue to decrease as a result of climate change, pesticide use, and other human activities, it has never been more imperative than now to know how to keep pollinators bzzzing about.
There are several ways that pollinator species can be protected and encouraged while still meeting plant sales goals that benefit all of the wondrous creatures of Earth. Today, we’re going to talk about one of the easiest and quickest ways to help, with a pollinator garden.
It may only happen once a year, but celebrating pollinators is a year-round effort! Throughout our day-to-day lives in the Green Industry, we should consider taking the time to find new and cost-effective ways to benefit pollinators.
While the Green Industry is often limited from a sales point due to the invasive status of some pollinator plant varieties, and Federal and State regulations that require chemical use, there are still plenty of ways that we can help.
Keep Pollinators Buzzing
In business we often see companies take initiatives to positively counteract the negative effects of their practices by doing something a little extra. While this is primarily seen in efforts towards carbon neutrality and fossil fuel resources, this is achievable in the Green Industry too!
One way is to create a pollinator habitat or pollinator garden!
Start by identifying an area that your company owns, but isn’t currently being used for production. This can be in the front of your facilities as landscaping or can be an adjacent piece of property that doesn’t get used for growing.
You may be surprised where you find it, but taking a quick look around, you may find that there is space where you can put a garden that could save your company some money in the long run. When finding your location consider other beneficial insects that may need refuge from your treated areas and consider planting for them too. If nothing else, you will be able to improve your local environment and beneficial insect populations.
Once you have figured out where your new pollinator garden is going to be located, the next step is to start digging!
Using your local planting guides for native plants that are pollinator friendly, you can start planting varieties that stimulate the growth of bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beetles, and other pollinator species.
While much of this will come second hand to those of us in the industry, it’s good to be reminded that pollinator week is something to be encouraged and celebrated! If you and your team are looking for other ways to help bees and other pollinators, head over to https://www.pollinator.org/7things for more tips and tricks!
Coming together to educate one another on pollinator’s status and practices gives us the opportunity to keep these positive environmental influences around for years to come. Don’t wait another day, get your pollinator habitat started today!