Our friends at Beez Kneez sure have us thinking about pollinators lately, with their great bee-health advocacy and upcoming Pastry Chef Challenge.
Maybe you have been thinking about pollinators, too? If you’re concerned about the health of bees and butterflies now is the perfect time to start taking action.
And one of the best things individuals can do to support pollinators is plant a pollinator garden .
Think of a healthy eco-system for pollinators as a series of stepping stones. By using huge amounts of pesticides in agriculture and gardening, and clear-cutting plants that we think of “weeds” but which bees and butterflies call “food,” we’ve stretched the distance between safe stepping stones for those pollinators.
Your garden will be a safe step for butterflies and bees if you make it a healthy landing spot them. You can do that by:
- planting a wide variety of flowers
- letting weeds grow in certain parts of your yard or property
- growing organic — don’t use pesticides for pollinators please!
When planting your pollinator garden, double check to see if you’re planting varieties native to Minnesota (or wherever you happen to be). Per Beez Kneez, these .pdfs from Xerces and the U of M Beelabhave great plant lists showing what’s best for which pollinators in Minnesota.
If you don’t have space for a garden, there are others way you can help save the pollinators. With their Second Annual Dandelion Honey Pastry Chef Challenge on Tuesday, Beez Kneez has created one of the sweetest traditions in Minneapolis. Seward Co-op is sponsoring the tasty event, and our own Bakery Supervisor Mary Vorndran is taking part in the competition so buy your tickets now and cheer her on!