POLLINATORS

Climate change and its impact on pollinators

How to support Oakville’s pollinators! Replace part of your lawn with your own pollinator garden, or add container pollinator gardens to your deck or balcony Look out for Oakvillegreen’s Native Plant Sale in March! We offer ready-made pollinator kits for your garden, native trees, shrubs and more. Choose native plants that are adapted to our local climate and soils. As an added bonus they’ll require less water and care! Incorporate caterpillar host plants such as Milkweed, New Jersey Tea and other nectar sources in your garden. Plant a wide variety of species to ensure that there are plants in bloom throughout the season. Ditch the chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers as they are very harmful to all insects. Don’t tidy up too much – many pollinators overwinter in leaf litter, plant stems and broken branches.

Why Native Plants? Native plants are those that have evolved in a certain area over thousands of years, forming symbiotic relationships with surrounding flora and fauna. They are genetically adapted to local growing conditions. Plants that are native to our Oakville region have evolved with our native pollinators so they are best at supporting them. The native plants in your pollinator habitat will provide the nectar, pollen, larval food and shelter that these pollinators need to survive. Native plants are also easy to care for, require less watering, and they look beautiful! And don’t forget that bees visit TREES too! Native flowering trees, such as maples, willows, cherries, basswood, and serviceberry are all excellent sources of nectar for bees and serve as host plants for many butterfly caterpillars.

What is a Pollinator? A pollinator is an animal that helps transfer pollen between plants. This allows fertilization, which is essential for fruit and seed production. About one-third of our food depends on pollinators. Some types of pollinators include bees, butterflies, flies, beetles, and hummingbirds. Pollinator populations are declining globally due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and urban development. Pollinators Need Our Help! One of the most important things we can do to support threatened pollinators is to create pollinator habitat, by planting a variety of native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees. Small scale pollinator gardens, such as those found in backyards, schools, churches and businesses, can play an important role for pollinators in urban settings. If you plant it, they will come! Your pollinator garden will quickly become home to a variety of pollinators like hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, beetles, and bees. You’ll also be helping pollinators to find the plants that are just right for them! Many native plants and pollinators have co-evolved. For example, milkweed is the only plant that Monarch caterpillars eat, so if we want to nurture Monarchs, we must plant native milkweeds.