Module 5

Creating Pollinator-Friendly Habitat

To learn more about the characteristics of pollinator-friendly gardens and landscaping
To assess the availability of pollinator habitat in a limited area or neighborhood
To develop a plan for improving or creating a pollinator-friendly habitat

Attention to certain basic principles for residential and public landscaping can create pollinator-friendly gardens. These include:

Using local native plants
Choosing plants with a diversity of colors
Choosing flowers of different shapes and sizes
Selecting plants with varying heights, growth habits, and flowering times
Including plants that provide food for butterfly larva as well as plants that provide nectar and pollen-producing flowers for pollinators

For details please refer to the Xerces Society's Plants for Native Bees .

References:

Greenmap System, Kids' Greenmaps Activity Guide, http://www.greenmap.com/ymaps/activity.html

Shepard, M. Plants for Native Bees: Backyard Conservation Series #1, Xerces Society, Portland, Oregon, http://www.xerces.org