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From Wild to Formal, Pollinator Beds Please Bees

Charlie says although the Clairton garden brightens up the city street, the pollinator bed, located in the back, is not immediately obvious to passersby. “But the bees know!” And that’s the most important thing.

Perspectives

If You Plant It, They (Pollinators) Will Come The American bumblebee’s fuzzy, black-and-yellow exterior was once a familiar sight on open prairies, grasslands and urban areas across many states, including Pennsylvania. Within the past two decades, though, these pollinators of flowering plants have declined by nearly 90 percent. (See pages 2-3 to learn more about research by our science team to understand Pennsylvania’s bees in rare habitats.) The plant species-dependent monarch butterfly, with its iconic large orange and black wings, is also in jeopardy of extinction. During their spring migration from Mexico, monarchs search for milkweed plants on which to lay their eggs. Part of Western Pennsylvania is along their northern migration path and is a summer breeding area for this and other pollinators,

MAY 6, 2023 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Register today for our favorite day of the year! Bring family and friends and join us at The Barn at Fallingwater at Bear Run Nature Reserve for WPC’s Members’ Day and Annual Meeting. It’s a day full of fun that includes a complimentary continental breakfast from 8-10:30 a.m., a choice of hikes at the reserve, information sessions, children’s activities and free tours of Fallingwater (schedule your tour upon arrival). Meet our staff and learn how your valued support is being put to work at the Annual Meeting, then enjoy an optional catered lunch buffet at the Barn ($21 for adults, free for children 10 and under) or bring your own lunch.

a butterfly weed, a type of milkweed, A monarch butterfly caterpillar sits on eny County. Allegh in ve Reser e Natur Run at WPC’s Toms

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Volunteers at the Clairton garden, including Charlie Spence, kneeling at right

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Issue 7 Spring 2023

A newsletter highlighting experiences of our members, partners and volunteers

Attend the entire day, or just a portion. Activities are free, but you must purchase lunch reservations in advance by Friday, April 28. Register for the day and/or purchase lunch online at WaterLandLife.org/MembersDay2023, scan the QR code below, call 1-866-564-6972 or return the coupon below (with check payment if you wish to purchase lunch).

An avid home gardener, Charlie admits that a pollinator garden can sometimes look wild, but says a benefit, in addition to providing food for pollinators and shelter for insects and small wildlife, is that it requires little maintenance. “We just have to pull some weeds every now and then.”

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Setting up a pollinator garden initially costs more, but yields savings in the long run because once plants are planted and established, there is no need to purchase more plants. And pollinator gardens can be designed to suit any landscape aesthetic, from wild to formal, while offering environmental benefits, says Lori Kofalt, WPC’s community gardens and greenspace services coordinator who designs the gardens. “Pollinator-friendly plantings will attract bees and butterflies, provide songbirds with seeds and offer cover for wildlife. The stems of native plants can host beneficial insects, and spent seedheads left over the winter create interest when the garden is not in bloom.”

By summer’s end, he was stunned. “It grew beautifully! The section was alive with bees of several varieties, tiny ones, large ones. You could hear them! The anise hyssop was moving with bees.” Butterflies also enjoy the pollen, but not just insects benefit, Charlie notes. “After Christmas, I saw goldfinches feeding off the dried seeds.”

WPC has been transitioning sections of some of its 130 community flower gardens to pollinator-friendly beds. “In 2022, we

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When Charlie Spence decided to convert part of WPC’s community flower garden in his native Clairton to a pollinator-friendly bed for bees and butterflies, he wasn’t sure it would grow. “The garden is three blocks from the mill in a polluted community,” he says, “and the seedlings were the tiniest, most fragile looking things.” On a warm May day in 2021, Charlie, the garden’s volunteer steward since 2012, and other dedicated volunteers planted them.

added native pollinating species to 28 gardens and converted the Grant Street and First Avenue garden in downtown Pittsburgh to all native perennials with new educational signage,” says Art Demeo, WPC’s director of community greenspace services. “As we plan for the future of the gardens, environmental stewardship will be a focus.” That includes adding native perennial beds to all the gardens and redesigning some gardens with a focus on pollinator habitat.

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WPC community gardens and greenspace staff created a plan for the Clairton garden, complete with pollinator-friendly plants such as anise hyssop, echinacea, blackeyed Susan and more. In the inset, a butterfly enjoys nectar from blazing star.

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy protects and restores exceptional places to provide our region with clean waters and healthy forests, wildlife and natural areas for the benefit of present and future generations. The Conservancy creates green spaces and gardens, contributing to the vitality of our cities and towns, and preserves Fallingwater, a symbol of people living in harmony with nature.

Pollinators—animals that move pollen and cause plants to fruit or seed—are essential to biodiversity, our natural ecosystem and the economy. Most flowering plants rely on pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths and birds to bloom. Pollinators also help crops, including tomatoes, blueberries and apples, reproduce and thrive. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pollinators contribute an estimated $24 billion annually to the U.S. economy. Unfortunately, many pollinator species have been declining across North America in recent years due to invasive plants and insects, habitat loss, disease, insecticides and other factors. As a result, many pollinators face an uncertain future nationally and locally. “This is a crisis facing our natural areas that threatens biodiversity. In keeping with our mission, the Conservancy wants to help nature thrive. We continue to make strategic decisions regarding how we plan our work across the organization to help many types of species, including pollinators,” says Cynthia Carrow, the Conservancy’s vice president of government and community relations, who oversees the Conservancy’s community gardens and greenspace program and conservation science work. In 1978, our community flower garden program began to help beautify and brighten communities across the region with colorful flowering annuals and shrubs. “Our gardens have always served as important urban habitats and sources of food for pollinators. But over the past decade, we have been looking at ways to use more pollinator-friendly, native plants within these vital habitats,” she adds. (See page 5 to learn more about how a number of our community gardens are transitioning into hubs for both pollinators and stormwater capture.)

“This is a crisis facing our natural areas that threatens biodiversity. In keeping with our mission, the Conservancy wants to help nature thrive. We continue to make strategic decisions regarding how we plan our work across the organization to help many types of species, including pollinators.” — Cynthia Carrow WPC Vice President of Government and Community Relations

says Andy Zadnik, director of land stewardship. He manages the Conservancy’s nature preserves and has helped restore former agricultural fields to native grasslands and meadows. “We have been doing more active restoration on our preserves over the past several years and I’m impressed with how quickly we’ve been able to transform open fields with warm-season grasses and native wildflowers, such as milkweed, on our preserves.” (Learn more on pages 3-4.) Elderberry, viburnum, redbud, mulberry and basswood are native and pollinator-friendly trees that are often planted by Conservancy (continued on page 2)

WHAT'S INSIDE This issue of WPC’s Perspectives Newsletter focuses on the work the Conservancy is doing to help support pollinator species and pollinator habitats across the region. To learn more, volunteer, find out other ways to get involved or donate, email us at info@paconserve.org or visit WaterLandLife.org.

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