The Project: Honeybees pollinate approximately $10 billion worth of crops in the United States each year. However, of the hundred or so crops that make up most of the world's food supply, only 15% are pollinated by domestic bees, while at least 80% are pollinated by wild bees and other wildlife. To combat the declining bee and butterfly population the Lincoln County Land Services Department has been awarded a grant to convert two (2) acres of turf grass into pollinator habitat.
Year Two (2021)
During the spring of 2021, the site was mowed with the standing residual vegetation as close to the ground as possible in mid spring and any cuttings were raked off. We mowed at the best time to mow most native plants which is when the buds of the Sugar Maple tree (Acer saccharum) begin to break open in spring. Mowing in mid spring helped to set back non-native cool season weeds and grasses such as Quackgrass, Bluegrass, and Bromegrass etc. We did not find the need to mow again in June.
We were thrilled to see our pollinator garden begin to look more like a garden and less like a weed patch this year! Next year should prove to be even more beautiful as the final native plants blossom in their third year.