Pollinator Pathway

[ysabetwordsmith]

A Pollinator Pathway is a pesticide-free corridor of native plants that provide nutrition and habitat for pollinating insects and birds.  Pollinator Pathmaker is a program that designs gardens for wildlife rather than humans.

These things are great, but to me, a little weird.  I have to stop and remember that most modern humans A) can't think like other species and B) rarely even see other species.  Me, I spend time outside not just doing yardwork but watching how everyone else uses my yard.  A plant is covered with insects?  I will put out more of it.  My pollinators' favorite late-season plants are 'Autumn Joy' sedum, garlic chives, goldenrod, and Shithouse Marigolds.  Only one of those is actually native.  Cup plant and sunchokes, two other natives, are also popular.  Midseason they love coneflowers (I have yellow and purple) and mountain mint, along with the zinnias and cosmos that come in the Monarch Mix.  I generally favor natives, but everyone gets a vote.

Comments

[frith]

My property is pesticide free, with the exception of when I spray the llama to murder the stable flies draining her blood. She doesn't eat the goldenrod until the winter, long after it has gone to seed and died back. I suspect that my neighbors on my side of the road are not into spraying their plants with pesticides either. Nonetheless, the insect abundance of 15 to 20 years ago has evaporated, including the mosquitoes, deerflies and black flies. Across the road are fields of commercial monoculture crops.

Long story short, people can grow narrow 'feel good' corridors of pesticide-free plants, but good luck keeping the insects from straying into the pesticide laden crops on either side. It's like saving the planet by banning straws while not putting the brakes on fossil fuel extraction.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> My property is pesticide free, <<

Mine mostly is too. I wear bug spray, and I will spot-treat problems like a wasp nest on the house, but that's about it.

>> with the exception of when I spray the llama <

Yay llama! They are so cute and so soft. Some farms around here have them, and I've seen them up close at the fair.

>> Nonetheless, the insect abundance of 15 to 20 years ago has evaporated, including the mosquitoes, deerflies and black flies. <<

We still have abundant flies, mosquitoes, crickets, cicadas, some butterflies, some bees, and a few other things. But nowhere near what it was.

>> Across the road are fields of commercial monoculture crops.<<

Yeah, we're surrounded by them too.

>>Long story short, people can grow narrow 'feel good' corridors of pesticide-free plants, but good luck keeping the insects from straying into the pesticide laden crops on either side. It's like saving the planet by banning straws while not putting the brakes on fossil fuel extraction.<<

I would say, it's not enough, but it's much better than nothing. Traveling insects in particular will look for habitat with desirable features. They can stepping-stone their way around if enough spots are available. Without that, they're screwed. I'm just happy to see humans trying to think about what insects need.

Re: Thoughts

[frith]

I agree that migration corridors for insects and pollinator gardens are better than nothing and like wildlife rehabilitation, keep positive human engagement with natural biodiversity alive. I'm also afraid that it's a distraction from a problem for which there is no easy solution, or at least nothing that would profit Monsanto.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I'm also afraid that it's a distraction from a problem for which there is no easy solution, or at least nothing that would profit Monsanto. <<

Taking down Monsanto and the other fuckwits destroying 12000+ years of ass-busting agricultural effort is a separate issue. We need to hold what ground we can, and rewild where possible, to keep species alive in hopes of eventually flogging the government into larger-scale action.

Some of the gains are more than trivial. I've seen prairie patches as big as 10 or so acres here, although most are smaller. It's not enough, but it's a lot more than backyard gardens. Farmers in some states can get kickbacks for leaving some land fallow or using it for nature plantings -- and most farmers have somewhere that's just a pain in the ass to plow, so if they can do something else with it, they probably will.

Grand Prairie Friends has built up over 1000 acres contiguous plus scattered patches. Granted a big chunk of that is forest rather than prairie but we have bobcats and bats, and I'm pretty sure that's behind the bald eagles returning. It's making a difference. It's a start.

Re: Thoughts

[labelleizzy]

And we have to start somewhere.

When I asked our gardener to stop poisoning weeds I started to see lizards in my garden regularly! And I have bright green fig beetles too, and a few more species of birds in the last couple of years.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> And we have to start somewhere.<<

Exactly. Government programs that let farmers plant a native patch, or help homeowners switch to a native or xeriscaped yard, benefit everyone. It's not enough, but it helps considerably, and the skills people develop doing that will make it easier to take next steps. Maybe a farmer will decide to explore organics or a homeowner will put in a wildlife pond.

>> When I asked our gardener to stop poisoning weeds I started to see lizards in my garden regularly! And I have bright green fig beetles too, and a few more species of birds in the last couple of years.<<

Woohoo! \o/ That's awesome. Yeah, my yard is crawling with life. I have insects, birds, amphibians, squirrels, rabbits, often small omnivores like possums and raccoons, occasionally something bigger like foxes or deer. It's pretty awesome. And my detritus food chain is 3 days to apex, which is probably about its maximum speed.

Re: Thoughts

[labelleizzy]

You say, "my detritus food chain is 3 days to apex," and my brain thinks that's something to do with a compost pile? Am I correct?

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

This is one example of a detritus food web. Yes, you can have one in a compost pile. If you turn the thing a lot, that will scare off your bigger wildlife but the small ones will remain.

Here is the "three days to apex" post.

[switterbeet]

Mountain mint smells so good! <3

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I love it -- kind of dark and woodsy with a strong medicinal edge. :D