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Planning for Pollinators
January 15, 2025
By: Maddie Lukens, Park Interpreter
Pollinators, what would we do without them? From bees and wasps to butterflies and moths, and even flies and bats, we rely on pollinators to get the job done. What job may you ask? Without a pollinator to carry pollen from the male part (stamen) of a flower to the female part (stigma) of a flower, many plants would cease fruit-bearing. The loss of our lovely pollinator friends may seem ominous, but there are things that we can do to aid in their comeback! This is where the pollinator garden comes into play. Not only do pollinator gardens provide habitat for our pollinator friends, but they also provide habitat and a food source for many birds and mammals.
While the idea of planning an entire garden around pollinators may seem daunting, there are a few tips and tricks that can make it much easier.
Planning Process
- Use Your Community Resources
There are an abundance of resources to choose from when planning a pollinator garden. In Southeast Michigan, we are lucky enough to have organizations like MSU Extension and their Master Gardener program, local pollinator organizations (ex. The Rochester Pollinators), and your very own Huron-Clinton Metroparks. Most of these local resources provide online reading content, zoom trainings, and even in-person trainings in all things related to pollinators. Congratulations, you’re already utilizing one of those resources by reading this blog!
- Assess Your Current Landscape
If you are converting an existing garden to a pollinator garden, a good place to start is assessing what plants already grow well in that space. A quick google search or trip to your local greenhouse can help you figure out what you have growing currently and what the needs of those plants might be. A few plant needs we want to look for is their need for sunlight or shade, the type of soil, and the growing season. Many plant lists will provide you with this information for each individual plant. A good and balanced pollinator garden possesses a variety of native plants that have staggered bloom times. This will support your local pollinators for the entirety of their life cycles and provide a critical food source for birds and mammals.
If you are converting a turf grass or dirt area to a pollinator garden, assess the ecosystems that exist surrounding your home. Take note of the plants growing in those ecosystems, is it forested or an open area, are you situated higher on the landscape or lower? All these things will help you to know what types of pollinator-friendly plants you may want to plant. For example, if you are in a wet, low area of the landscape with cattails, ferns, and maples, you may want to plant bushy aster, swamp milkweed, or grass-leaved goldenrod.
In an urban or suburban area and unsure of what the ecosystem should look like in your area? Simply assess the moisture of your soil and how much sunlight you have and go from there! The good thing about gardening is that if one plant doesn’t seem to grow well in your garden, simply try something new the following year. (Pro tip: if your entire garden isn’t doing well or blooms are sparce, try amending your soil by adding more nutrients. Compost and manure bags can be bought at almost any greenhouse, try adding some into the soil before planting for a more nutrient dense base for plants).
- Plant Native Plants!
There is a big difference in planting indigenous plants versus planting non-indigenous, invasive, and hybrid plants for pollinators. Non-native, invasive, and hybrid plants have not co-evolved with your local pollinator species. There are a few issues that this prompts- these plants may have floral structures that are inaccessible to our Michigan species and contain less nectar, pollen, and fragrance. This means that your local pollinators may be unable to access their food and therefore not do their job. If you are unsure if you have non-native, invasive, or hybrid plants in your garden, your local CISMA (Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) is a great resource! Many CISMAs have forums and resources to help landowners identify what might be non-native or invasive on their property and how to best manage it. (Pro tip: source your native plants from a local native plant greenhouse, nursey, or nature center!)
- Host Plants are Important Too
While it is important to plant flowering plants with available nectar and pollen for our adult pollinators, it is equally as important to give them a place to grow. Caterpillars and larval insects need food too, which in this case are plants to chew on. This might seem counterintuitive, why should you plant something just for it to be completely eaten by the end of the growing season? Think of monarch butterflies and the milkweed plant. For the past decade we have been actively planting milkweed to aid in the resurgence of the beautiful monarch butterfly, whose caterpillar’s sole food source is the leaves of milkweed. Without planting and conserving milkweed, with the purpose of being food for the monarch caterpillars, we wouldn’t have monarch butterflies!
- Make it a Monarch Waystation
Speaking of monarch butterflies, why not get your new pollinator garden certified as a Monarch Waystation! The Monarch Waystations provide habitat for the monarch butterfly’s many generations and support them throughout their migration. To certify your garden, it must have a high plant density, contain annual or biennial nectar plants, perennial nectar plants, and follow sustainable management practices. To apply for a Monarch Waystation certificate, visit the Monarch Waystation website. Curious about what a Monarch Waystation looks like? Stop by the Butterfly Garden at Stony Creek Metropark Nature Center!
Planning a pollinator garden can be as simple or as intricate as you want it to be. Whether you plant from seed or buy an established plant from a greenhouse, the pollinators will be thankful.
Resources:
https://pollinators.msu.edu/resources/pollinator-planting/pollinator-gardens.aspx
https://www.michiganinvasives.org/landownermanagement/
https://www.michiganmastergardener.org/nurseries-featuring-native-plants
https://www.fws.gov/story/highlighting-importance-pollinators
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