Where would we be without pollinators?

Sure, so many of us enjoy looking at butterflies flitting about in the yard. But they – and many other creatures like them – play an important role in the ecosystem beyond the aesthetic beauty of their colorful wings and fanciful flights.

Butterflies are pollinators, and pollinators are vital to sustaining life as we know it.

Why We Need Pollinators

I found out from the United States Forest Service that of the 1,400 crop plants grown around the world, almost 80% need animals to pollinate them. “Without pollinators,” says the Forest Service, “the human race and all of Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems would not survive.”  

The value of pollination is incalculable. Pollination from butterflies, bees, and other creatures yields a cornucopia of benefits for crops that we depend on. Of course, there are crops like fruits, vegetables, and grains that require pollination. But think about the other nutrients and essentials we harvest from plants. Think about fats and oils… Many of these come from plants like sunflowers, oil palm, and canola.

It’s mind blowing to think about how much of our food supply depends on pollination. And it’s sobering to realize that we are losing huge populations of our pollinators to synthetic weed killers, uncontrolled urbanization, and monocultural landscaping methods like growing single-species turfgrass lawns.

Why It’s Important To Make Your Friendlier For Pollinators

We hear a lot about making our yards and landscapes more butterfly and bee friendly. But it’s not just butterflies and bees who serve roles as pollinators. Tia Silvasy, a residential horticulture and master gardener volunteer coordinator at the Hillsborough County extension of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), explains there are many other creatures out there that don’t always get recognition as pollinators but that should be accommodated in the yard.

“Many people don’t realize that bats and beetles are pollinators too and there are other insects such as parasitic wasps that help to create an ecological landscape – they lay their eggs in caterpillars.”

So, what does it mean to make a yard pollinator-friendly anyway? For one, it means moving away from indiscriminately spraying our yards with harmful chemicals.

Not only do some of these chemicals directly and indirectly kill pollinators and other beneficial creatures, but many of these sprays – specifically herbicides – kill the plants that pollinators need to survive. This doesn’t mean we have to let weeds take over our yards. But what it does mean is looking toward organic herbicides. These include clove oil, citric acid, and vinegar and selectively applying them to plants that aren’t as essential to supporting pollinators.

Having a pollinator-friendly yard may even result in more of the plants you grow looking fuller and more colorful. Besides, who can beat the sight of butterflies, bees, beetles, and other beneficial creatures buzzing about the yard?

Attracting Pollinators

There’s a solution for just about everyone who wants to turn their yard into a pollinator’s paradise. Some people just don’t mow their yards, letting the turf plants do their thing. This can yield some especially beneficial results when the grass you’re growing doesn’t just consist of a single species, like St. Augustine or fescue, and instead is composed of a diversity of plants.

Ever hear of No Mow May? It’s a movement that has taken root in recent years to eliminate or reduce mowing during the spring months. That’s when plants really take off. Not mowing can encourage an increase in flower blooms that attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. This will give them a solid start for the year. Can’t go a full month without mowing? Even waiting two or three weeks between mowings can make just enough of a difference. It will give quick-blooming flowers a chance to flourish, giving pollinators a boost.

Of course, one problem with not mowing your grass for a few weeks is the possibility of fines. Code enforcement or homeowners’ associations (HOAs) are prone to clamp down on a long yard. One solution? Tear out the yard altogether and turn the yard into a garden oasis. Imagine the space filled with low-maintenance native plants – the kind that help support local and regional pollinator populations.

“Many residents struggle with the upkeep of a lush green lawn so replacing some turfgrass with a pollinator garden would likely be lower maintenance,” says Silvasy. “It’s aesthetically pleasing to see all the beautiful flowers and pollinators in your garden, and you can also feel good that you are helping the environment.”

Silvasy recommends the UF/IFAS pollinator plants webpage on gardening solutions for those who are growing pollinator landscapes in Florida. Live outside of Florida? Then check with your local gardening organizations for ideas on what pollinator plants work best where you live.

Things To Think About When Creating A Pollinator-Friendly Yard

So many people try growing non-native plants because they want to give their yard an exotic look. That’s a big problem in Florida where I live.

It seems there are two camps of folks here who grow non-native plants. You get the people who plant tons of palms and colorful exotics because they want to make their yard look like a tropical island paradise (even though Florida technically is neither an island nor technically tropical in the climatological sense). Then there are many transplants who move here from the North or out West and want to try growing plants they knew from their former home hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

In so many cases those types of plants aren’t native and were never meant to be grown here. Silvasy has some thoughts about this situation for those who are creating landscapes in Florida. “It’s important for residents to pay attention to plant status when selecting plants for their garden. UF/IFAS recommends choosing Florida native or Florida-Friendly plants and removing any exotic invasive plants that may be in your landscape as they can do harm to our environment,” she says.

Silvasy adds, “We see many yards planted with Hawaiian or croton plants that look pretty but do not provide many flowers or berries for wildlife. If you want to build pollinator habitat start by adding some pollinator plants and eventually you may want to take out the plants that have low ecological value.”

The most valuable plants for your yard are the ones that naturally grow in your region. “Native plants often have the most benefits to our wildlife. For example, saw palmetto plants are utilized by nearly 100 different species of birds, insects, and animals for food and shelter.”

Where To Go From Here

I recommend perusing websites or books for tips and ideas on which native plants are good for pollinators in your area. Or you could do what my wife and I do for landscape ideas. We visit local botanical gardens for some inspiration.

A key goal in planting a pollinator-friendly garden isn’t just giving butterflies, bees, and other creatures a place to feed. You also have to give them a place to breed and thrive. This supports them throughout their whole life cycle. And for that reason, you need to grow pollinator host plants. For example, milkweed and passionflower are two plants that not only draw butterflies looking to feed, but that also serve as plants where butterflies lay their eggs so the next generation of butterflies (which emerge first as caterpillars) can be born.

Creating a butterfly garden or pollinator garden can help support these beneficial creatures while also beautifying your yard.