Let’s Plant Flowers
It’s time to start a pollinator garden. While we love our butterflies, don’t forget to support our other pollinators – bees, hummingbirds, even flies & beetles. Each of these pollinators has flower preferences that are called “pollinator syndromes”.
Hummingbirds prefer tubular, bright red flowers like salvias. Hummingbirds hoover while they feed but butterflies and bees need landing pads – larger flowers. Bees prefer flowers that are blue, purple or yellow like coneflowers and sunflowers. Butterflies visit flowers that are orange, yellow, pink or blue like dianthus. Moths needs flowers that are open at night like nicotiana. Flies and beetles tend to pollinate fragrant flowers. Paw Paw farmers actually hang road kill in their trees at blossom time to attract the flies & beetles that pollinate paw paws!
I was hoping to have plants ready to give out but, in case you haven’t noticed, this spring has been challenging. So just plan your garden or planter, let me know what plants your need and I’ll see what I can do. I should have plants available next week – only cost is responding to this post and letting me know what you want.
Fair Entry Ideas
- Insect Habitat Item: A pollinator or host planter
- Insect Photo series: Different pollinators on flowers
- Insect Educational Item: Bee, butterfly or other pollinator ID guide, a pollinator Lifecycle teaching Aid (let me know if you would like a purple tile), pollinator journal – see resources
- Posters or Electronic Education Item: How to Plan a Pollinator Garden; Specific Pollinator; Pollinator Syndromes; Butterflies of Maryland; …
Resources:
- Creating Inviting Habitats by Virginia Cooperative Extension
- Lawn Gone Native – a Penn State Honors Thesis Project
- What’s the Buzz: All About Pollinators – Maryland DNR
- Simple School Wildlife Garden Guide – Maryland DNR
- Learn at Home: Bee and Pollinator Activities – Maryland DNR
- Pollinator Journal – Maryland DNR. Really cool, this could be filled out and entered in the fair as an insect educational item.
Check back – I’ll update this post when I have more time.
