Asheville – The third week of June is National Pollinator Week, making it a great time to create a pollinator-friendly yard. There are small and large ways any gardener can ensure that bees, birds, bats, beetles, butterflies, and other species survive and thrive. Pollinators are insects and animals that transfer pollen from one plant to another, enabling the production of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. This process is critical for humans and wildlife to obtain essential food resources.
The Importance of Pollinators
More than 1,200 crops and approximately 90% of all wild, flowering plants depend on pollinators for their survival. Especially in our agricultural area, this is a subject of interest related to the food we eat and the economically important crops we raise. During June, people of all ages can learn more about the interdependence between humans and pollinators. There are a number of activities such as nature walks, gardening programs, and apiary tours taking place.
Asheville Greenworks: Protecting Pollinators and the Environment
Here in this area, Asheville Greenworks concentrates its efforts to that end. A complete schedule of events is available at https://www.ashevillegreenworks.org/events#pollinationcelebration. For questions about Pollination Celebration! Month or to volunteer, contact info@ashevillegreenworks.org. They encourage and work with the community to plant habitats to feed the native pollinators that support local ecosystems. The plants they pollinate not only sequester carbon but also create oxygen, provide habitat, hold and enrich our soil, filter stormwater, and directly or indirectly feed most animals (including us). Those plants are foundational to the biodiversity that combats climate change. GreenWorks also finds ways to keep recyclables out of the landfill and clean up our roadsides and waterways. And they educate and inspire others to take action to protect the natural resource systems we rely on. It is a very active environmental volunteer organization.
Bee City USA®: Conservation Efforts in Asheville and Hendersonville
Both Asheville and Hendersonville are designated Bee City USA® affiliates. The organization, a part of the highly reputable Xerces Society, provides a framework for communities to work together to conserve native pollinators by increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites, and reducing the use of pesticides. Asheville became the inaugural Bee City in 2012, thanks in large part to the efforts of Phyllis Stiles, founder and director emerita of Bee City USA®, who resides in Asheville and is a pollinator champion throughout the United States. As a result of her work, there are now 354 city and campus communities, including UNC-A, designated as Bee City/Campus USA®. Stiles is dedicated to learning about pollinators, native plants, pesticides, and promoting sustainable practices for the hundreds of thousands of hardworking pollinator species that sustain our planet.
Promoting Monarch Butterfly Conservation
In fact, on June 3, Stiles’ garden was featured in the Historic Montford Garden tour and open to the public. It was the only one designated a Certified Pollinator Garden. Visitors to her house gained a better understanding of pollinators and pollination. As a docent that day, I learned all about the monarch butterfly’s dependence on native milkweed for survival. Adult monarchs feed on the nectar of many flowers, but they breed only where milkweed is found. The milkweed genus is critical for the survival of monarchs as it supports their complete life cycle, from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. Female monarchs only lay eggs on milkweed plants since monarch caterpillars exclusively eat milkweed. Milkweed provides both food and shelter for caterpillars during their approximately two-week feeding period.
Choosing the Right Plants for Pollinators
Milkweed, a lovely plant with beautiful blossoms, can be grown in either sun or shade depending on the variety. Butterfly milkweed, a perennial, produces bright orange blooms all summer long when its root system remains intact. Poke milkweed thrives in partial shade, while common milkweed prefers more sun. For a comprehensive list of recommended plants to support native pollinators, visit www.ashevillegreenworks.org/learn/native-pollinators.
Hendersonville: A Bee City USA Affiliate
On May 7, 2015, Hendersonville became the 7th Bee City USA® in the nation by passing a resolution to affiliate with Bee City USA. With its deep agricultural roots, the city has long recognized the importance of pollinators. Notably, a large bee mural painted by Matt Willey adorns the exterior walls of Hands On! Children’s Museum. The city will host a variety of events during Pollinator Month, including a Native Bee Hotel Installation presented by Jon Gleman of Green River Bee Company on June 17 at Bullington Gardens. On July 13, from 2 pm to 4 pm, a program on Gardening for Pollinators will take place, featuring a garden walk with Steve Pettis, host of the Gardening in the Mountains Radio Show and Henderson County Extension Agent. Registration is required for this program, with a fee of $12.00. For a complete schedule of events in Hendersonville, visit https://www.bullingtongardens.org/pollinator-events-education#pollinator-month. For inquiries about Pollinator Month or to volunteer, contact beecityhendersonville@gmail.com. Hendersonville’s Pollinator Month events are coordinated by Bee City USA-Hendersonville, a program of Bullington Gardens and the Hendersonville Tree Board.